Vengeance Born
by pyrrhic victory
Summary: Not all otters are good, and Redsplash certainly isn’t. Although considering the fact that her best friend is the son of the tyrant that ruined her life, and once finally freed Redsplash was enslaved by a wildcat, she never really had a chance, did she?
1. Default Chapter

                                                    Vengeance Born

Chapter One:

"So, otter, you think you're a hero?" snarled the black fox as he glared at the female otter known as Redsplash, who was chained to the wall directly in front of him. The fox's dark colored left paw clenched tightly around the whip he always had with him as his dark tailed lashed agitatedly back and forth. He was tall for a fox and wore the dark gray tunic of a soldier; so far below the ranks of officer it was almost an insult that the otter had to be in his company.

The otter watched him coldly, eyebrows raised and lips drawn back in a sneer as if the fox was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen in her life, which was far from the truth, considering the life she lead. "Hero?" She asked, her tone calm even if her expression revealed her revulsion. She blinked her dark green eyes slowly, almost as if mocking him with the knowledge that she was not in the least afraid of him.

            "For helping that squirrel escape." The fox clarified loudly, baring his yellowed teeth in another snarl. 

            "No." Redsplash replied and shrugged one shoulder, causing the chains that chained her ankles and wrists to the wall to clink lightly. She looked much more composed now, almost calm.

            "No?" The fox snapped, his rage obvious in his face and voice, along with the obvious confusion the negative answer had caused him.

            "I helped him escape because I couldn't stand his breath, not because I am a hero." The otter said and smiled scornfully at him, her eyes flashing mockingly.

            The whip cracked forward and bit into her bare shoulder, causing blood to well up in and then spill out of the new cut. The otter didn't even flinch but leaned back against the wall and tilted her face upwards, towards the roof, and closed her eyes. Three more times the whip jumped forward, licking her other shoulder, her left paw, and her right knee, but she acted as if she couldn't feel it, eyes closed with a peaceful, if rather blank, expression on her young, remarkably unscarred face.

            Then, with a growl of annoyance from the fox, the whip lunged forward towards her face. The otter's eyes snapped open and she jerked forward, her teeth clamping shut on the whip. She yanked and the whip flew out of the fox's unsuspecting paws. Spitting the whip out the otter slid to the ground and sat there calmly, her eyes floating upwards towards the roof again, but not closing this time after they flashed a brief, harsh, warning to the startled fox.

            "Leave my face alone." She said evenly, her tone so obviously warning that it made the enraged, surprised, fox hesitate uncertainly, blinking and frowning as if he could not understand the language she was speaking.

            Redsplash could beat this fox. He was cruel, but clumsy. He had more fear of her than he had hate for her, which made him weak, and weak things she could beat. It was his master that she couldn't beat. She knew without any doubt the ferret would come soon. Anytime she committed any crime, broke any of the vermin's idiotic and oppressive rules, the ferret came to visit her. He was the one thing she feared. He was the one thing that could give her nightmares, and he had gifted her with plenty over the seasons. The ferret was the one thing that could conjure fear from her twisted, darkened, heart. Not that she had ever, or would ever for that matter, show that fear. Redsplash showing fear was like the sun turning purple and stopping mid-way across the sky; it was never going to happen and it wasn't worth wasting the thought imagining it. No, she wouldn't show the fear, but she felt it, and she could feel it now, stirring in her stomach with apprehension and a sick sense of relief that the ferret had not yet come. 

            Suddenly the door slammed open and a tall, lithe, ferret stalked into the room, ending what relief she had felt and making her lips turn up quickly into a twisted, grim, smile before returning to the half-frown she normally wore. The small golden circlet balanced easily above his bewitchingly evil eyes announced him the owner of this castle, and much of the surrounding area, but the otter did not need the crown to know that. The ferret's name was not known, even by himself and so he was called the Nameless One or the Unnamed One. He was strong, agile, and quick, dangerous and cruel. However, it was his startlingly quick mind that frightened most creatures more then his ability to skin small creatures alive and laugh at their panicky pleas. Not that intelligence normally scared Redsplash, but the ferret seemed to completely lack the ability to be wrong or to do something without knowing that it would pay off in the end, and _that_ bothered her. If he let her live, there was always reason that would help him, and that was not exactly a comfortable thing to think about at night. No matter what she did, no matter how unpredictable she tried to be, he always knew what she was going to do before she did, almost as if he could read her mind. And it wasn't thanks to any sort of seer; Redsplash knew that. The Nameless One publicly and happily gutted all seers that came near him; he despised them even more than her.

            Today he wore a black tunic and must have been in an exceedingly cruel mood, because the seven daggers he normally only used to skin creatures were carefully in place at his wide black belt, along with his sword that never seemed to leave his side. He was taller than the average ferret, but not amazingly so, and more lithe then brawny. In fact, he looked more like an assassin than a tyrant, with only skin over muscle over bones, and almost no extra weight. When he breathed in quickly, one could see the outline of his ribs. He stood easily, not expecting an attack, but ready for one anyway, and he radiated contempt as his dark green eyes swept over the scene, nose twitching in repulsion at the dark-furred fox who was hurrying towards his whip, which lay limply on the other side of the small room. "Defarlan-you idiot-leave."  The ferret said, shaking his head in disgust as he watched the fox grab his whip and stumble, clumsily but quickly, out of the room.

            The otter stood slowly, the fear she felt never showing on her face, as she stared into the eyes of the one thing in the world that caused her to feel dread. "I knew you'd come." She said, her voice smooth and composed. Redsplash wondered, in the normal half-panicked voice her mind took when faced with him, if he knew about the rebellion.

            "Smart little otter." The ferret said sarcastically, smiling coldly. He moved forward until his clean, annoyed, face was an inch from her grimy, emotionless one, "Tell me, since when did you become a champion? A little hero fighting for the side of good and rescuing your poor little fellow slaves?"

            "I am _not_ a hero." The otter said quickly, slight anger flashing across her young and dirty face, "I will _never_ be a hero." This last sentence was said with bittersweet amusement, as if it were funny but only in a dark, lonely, way.

            "Why then, did you help the squirrel escape?" the ferret asked calmly, staring at her with a malicious intelligence glittering darkly in his freakishly innocent-looking eyes.

            "I didn't feel like sleeping." The otter replied, her tone going emotionless and muted once again.

            "Really?" the ferret said and tilted his head to the right. He leaned to the left and grabbed a spear off a sizeable rack of weapons, located just out of the otter's reach. He ran his paws along the wood, staring down at it, "Really?" he repeated, though his voice was distant and flat, as if he were concentrating on something else and her response didn't really matter.

            "Yes." The otter said and backed up against the wall, wary and tense.

            The butt of the spear swung and slammed into her stomach. The otter choked and bent forward, her paws trying to clutch her stomach but unable to reach it thanks to the chains. Fighting to drag air into her lungs she looked up at the ferret and barred her teeth at him in a sick mockery of a snarl.

            He would do worse; he always did. She would come out of this alive though, and she would not scream. She would _never_ scream…never. 

~

            Two hours later the ferret left still angry, and five minutes after the ferret left, another came in. This ferret was a younger, smaller, version of the first one, sharing the same basic facial features and the same basic build as the first one, along with the obviously expensive clothing. His wide, shining, blue eyes, instead of the other's dark green ones, bore a troubled look, accompanied with a downward twist to the ferret's mouth. While the other ferret had only showed annoyance and a bit of anger, this ferret openly showed concern as his eyes fell on the otter.

            Redsplash was crouched on the ground, blood trickling from her face, paws, and knees. She dragged a breath in soundlessly and let it out with a slight gurgling sound as the air caught on the blood that ran in her mouth form the dozens of little cuts she had made by biting her tongue, lip, or the inside of her cheek to keep from making any sound. This time had been worse then nearly all of the ones before, and she was surprised he hadn't broken any of her bones. Of course, the Nameless One would never be so clumsy. He needed her in the quarry; she was one of the strongest slaves he had. 

            "Red…" the younger ferret said, his voice between a whisper and a hiss, "Red…" he repeated as he crouched down beside her but far enough away to kill any suggestion that he might be crowding her. Redsplash did not like being crowded.

            The otter looked up and blinked slowly, the skin around her left eye already beginning to blacken. "Fate." She said simply, "Why are you here?"

            "To make sure you're alive." The ferret replied and moved forward smoothly, lifting her face by her chin then tilting it to the left, then the right. He hissed in surprise when he saw her eye, "That's gonna sting." He said.

            "Oh, really? I hadn't noticed." The otter replied, rolling her dark green eyes. She tilted her chin down and snapped her teeth together, in a half-amused, half-serious warning. The ferret pulled his hand away from her chin, acknowledging the warning. Redsplash also did not like being touched.

            He sent her a dark look, "Now is not the time to be sarcastic." He observed.

            "On the contrary, sarcasm is one of the few things keeping me from turning bloodthirsty and biting your paw right off." She responded, her tone faintly amused. 

            He frowned down at her, "Look Redsplash," he said, his tone slightly annoyed, "The rebellion is scheduled for two weeks from today-"

            "Wait a minute…" Redsplash said, looking unhappily surprised, "You _scheduled_ the rebellion?"

            The ferret blinked and then nodded slowly, "Yes."

            "Oy." Redsplash said, rolling her head back to stare at the roof of the room, "We're all gonna die."

            "What?" The ferret said, as if he didn't understand what she was so upset about.

            "See, this is why I don't let you take over much." Redsplash said, sighing and moving her gaze back to the ferret's face. "Fatefiend, that bastard father of yours has spies among the slaves."

            The ferret paused then nodded, "Yes, I know that."

            "And you told them when the rebellion is."

            "No…" Fatefiend said slowly, "They all died in unfortunate accidents while you were in the dungeons."

            "Well, that's great." Redsplash said darkly, "No wonder he was so angry today…he knows."

            "Not when, though." Fatefiend said urgently.

            "No, not when, but he knows." Redsplash said and sighed, letting her head loll down onto her chest, "Leave now, Fatefiend, before the Nameless Bastard comes back and realizes that you're rebelling against him too."

            "You're wounded." Fatefiend said, but took a slow step backwards.

            "I always am." Redsplash snapped, "Now, go!"

            Fatefiend frowned but took another step backwards. After a moment he scowled, sighed, and left quickly.

            Redsplash watched him go and then leaned against the cold stonewall, her eyes narrowing somewhat as she felt her back slip slightly down the wall. The wall was slippery from blood, her blood. She took a deep breath and let it out, her eyes fluttering closed as she clenched her paws into fists. She needed rest, and she was tired enough to sleep without dreams, or nightmares. With a last glance around the room, she closed her eyes again, and slept.

~

       Redsplash stared impassively at the two cowering rats that were unlocking her from the wall she had been attached to for two weeks now. They had one chain unlocked when sounds of battle came from outside. _Damn you Fate, couldn't you have at least waited until I got out there?_ Redsplash thought, her lips curling into a scowl as the two rats sprinted off, drawing weapons, and leaving Redsplash with one wrist till chained.

            She tugged on the chain violently, but could not budge the chain; she was too weak. She swore noisily and slammed her free paw into the wall in anger, ripping the flesh from her paw.

            She sighed and slid to the ground, watching the open door; waiting for someone to walk by that would get her out of these chains. Suddenly the Nameless One walked by and then stopped, walked backwards, and looked at her as if he were on a mid-day stroll and had found someone where he least expected them to be. He smiled, a politely startled smile, and came to a halt right in front of the door.

            "Hello, Brighteye." He remarked in a pleasant tone, "It seems your friends are being cut apart by my guards." He chuckled as if he had made a clever joke about the weather, "Did you know?" He paused, smiled again, and started walking again, carrying something in his hands.

            Redsplash screamed in fury, the only type of scream she allowed herself, and lunged to her feet, shouting curses that made some of the rats now running send her astonished looks. After a while she stopped and glared at the rats, waiting for something to happen. She did not have to wait long. She heard what sounded like two arguing voices and listened, tilting her head towards the sound. She heard the Nameless One's laughter and then a scream. She _knew_ that scream.

            "Sky!" she screamed so loud that she nearly caused herself to go hoarse. "_Sky_!" she repeated and lunged forward, hit the end of the chain, and was dragged backwards. There was more of the Nameless One's laughter, and another scream, quieter, weaker. "That's _it_!" she shouted and grabbed the chain with her paws, and wrapped it around her wrists, leaving some chain between then, she screamed and tugged, nearly ripping all the skin off her paws as she did so, but one of the links twisted, bent. 

            Redsplash stared down at it and grinned demonically, pulled her wrists out of the chains and sprinted as hard as she could towards he door. She hit the end of the chain, nearly yanking her shoulder out of place, but the chain snapped and she fell forward, hitting the ground hard, almost breaking her nose. She jumped to her feet and laughed, wrapping the chain around her right paw, making sure to leave some of the heavy chain left so she could swing it, and sprinted out of the room towards where the Nameless One had gone.

            She heard a muffled sobbing sound around a minute later and quickened her pace, ignoring any protest her legs and lungs launched, already tired from the escape. She rounded a corner and skidded to the stop when she saw a young squirrel maid on the floor, blood seeping from a wound on her stomach, and right paw reaching blindly for the dirk that was just out of reach.

            Redsplash fell onto her knees beside the squirrel maid and put both paws on the wound, trying to stop the blood flow, "Oh, Skydance, you're dying." Redsplash said softly, her face growing slightly sad, with a thick undercoat of anger shimmering just below the surface. Of course, from the day the young squirrel had been pretty much dumped into her unwilling care, Redsplash had been threatening to kill the squirrel herself. Still, she hadn't really meant the threats for at least a season now, and, besides, if _anyone_ was going to kill the obscenely annoying squirrel, it was supposed to be _her_, not the bastard ferret.

            The squirrel's eyelids fluttered weakly open and the light blue eyes rolled around, trying to locate Redsplash, "Red?" she asked after a minute, her soft voice sounding weak and dazed.

            "Don't talk Skydance." Redsplash whispered, "Just try to breathe… "

            "There's no point." The young squirrel said quietly, "I'm dying."

            "I know." Redsplash replied, "But I was kinda hoping you didn't."

            "Red…the ferret has a treasure in his paws right now…he killed me to keep me from it…take it from him, Red, it's the only thing he cares about." She coughed and groaned, her eyes closing against the pain.

            "I'll get it." Redsplash promised, "I'll get it." She repeated, because she wasn't sure the squirrel had heard it the first time.

            "Red…please…just do one thing before you leave…" Skydance said, her paw still reaching for her dirk.

            "Yes?" Redsplash asked, wondering how much more time she could afford to waste. 

            "Kill me…please." She whispered, the pain obvious in her voice from both the wound and the fact that she was now dying, "I don't want to be killed by the ferret…I couldn't stand to die like that…"

            Redsplash bit her lip and nodded, "I only have the chain…" She said, looking doubtfully down at the chain in her paws.

            "Take my dirk…kill me…and then steal it from him." The squirrel muttered wearily.

            Redsplash grabbed the squirrel's dirk off the cold stone floor and stabbed it, hilt-deep, into the shuddering squirrel's chest, straight into the young ones' heart. Redsplash considered taking the dirk with her, but decided against it, and left it there. Redsplash lunged to her feet, stared at the faded squirrel for one second, and then sprinted away, following the ferret and running away from the corpse.

~

            Fatefiend fought side-by-side with his best friend, Adthe. Roughly a hundred of the Nameless One's soldiers had rebelled, too, and Fatefiend had let the slaves loose, and nearly every single of the hundreds of the slaves were fighting. They were actually fighting decently well, too, what with the promise of vengeance inspiring them and all. His father's loyal soldiers would, eventually, get the best of them, but Fatefiend planned to be gone by then. Adthe, though, was staying here. Staying here to make sure Redsplash got out. 

Fatefiend decapitated a nearby stoat, smirking at the blood as he thought of his friend. Redsplash was deadly, evil, funny, and smart but also loyal, and so Fatefiend would be loyal in return and make sure she got out of the castle, but he would not stay, because neither would she if their roles were reversed. And Fatefiend would do no more for the otter than the otter would do for him. That was the basis of their entire friendship. 

~

            Redsplash flattened herself against the wall as best she could, considering the fact that she was a bit more three-dimensional than the wall's flat surface, and watched the Nameless One pull out a cleverly disguised drawer from a statue of a crouching wolf and place something in it. His head shot up when he heard a drawn-out scream from outside the walls and he frowned. Unsheathing his sword, he left through a different door than the one he had come in through, his pace hurried and tense. 

            Redsplash slipped stealthily from where she stood and moved quickly over to the statue. Carefully pulling out the drawer she quickly pulled her paw away, as she had seen the Nameless One do. A snake tooth expertly attached to a vile of venom struck the stone where her paw had just been then, carefully, reset itself. Blinking in appreciation for the clever trap, she pulled the pouch she had seen the Nameless One drop in the drawer out, and opened it carefully.

            Her eyes tripled in size when she saw what was in there and then, biting her lip, she turned and raced out the way she had come, through the halls, out into the battle, and then straight out of the castle, her eyes sparkling with intense determination.

~

Redsplash woke up in the dark, and the cold. She groaned and tried to raise her left paw to rub her eyes, but it was chained down. Redsplash blinked in surprise and her dark lashes flickered open. She was chained to a wall, but not one she had ever been chained to before. Obviously, she had been threatened with being chained in the torture chamber, but the Nameless One had always known that she wouldn't respond well to being in a room where she couldn't see outside, and had always wanted her working the quarry rather than locked up in the torture chamber. 

The otter groaned again and tried to remember what she had done. But everything was a blank…and when she tried to force herself to recall the past few hours, it hurt. She could vaguely remember Skydance dying and a rebellion, but anything after that was a blank…except…she could remember stealing something from the Unnamed One…something important…but she couldn't remember where she had put it, or if it had been taken from her, or even what it was…

Suddenly the door slammed open and the room was filled with a menacing and muted light. Redsplash closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, waiting impatiently as her eyes adjusted to what little light there was. The Nameless One was furious; she could tell that in a glance. The Nameless One angry was bad, but him furious was very, very, not good.

_This is gonna hurt._ Redsplash thought darkly and closed her eyes, "Hello, bastard." She said voice calm and vaguely amused, two things she definitely was _not_ at the moment.

"_Where is it_?" the ferret said and she could feel his breath on her neck and knew he would never come this close to her unless he was really, really angry. He had all the advantages, yes, but he knew she was dangerous. _This is **seriously** gonna hurt_. Redsplash amended her thought blearily.

"Where is what?" she asked bitterly, and then hissed in shock as a dagger point punctured the skin high up on her right arm, and was dragged down nearly to her elbow.

"Don't play innocent Brighteye." The ferret hissed and Redsplash's eyes slammed shut tighter as she felt something light begin to fall into her cut. 

She hissed again and her head twitched to the side when the scratch began to sting from the salt the Unnamed One had just so liberally sprinkled in the new cut.

"Tell me Brighteye." The ferret snapped.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Redsplash snapped, her paws clenching into fists as she waited for the pain to cease.

"How unfortunate for you." The Nameless One said, his voice both cold and mocking. 

~

Ten days later Redsplash splashed wearily in the water, her two broken legs dragging her down. She had been chained in the water for seven days, deprived of food for ten, and she was getting dangerously tired. The pond she was in was deep, and the post she was chained to was positioned in the direct middle of the pond. There was now way she could reach the shallows to stand. She was forced to keep swimming or risk drowning. And for Redsplash, who had been so perfect a swimmer so very long ago, death due to drowning would have been too much of a disgrace for her to allow.

The Nameless One stood on the bank of the wide pond, smirking coldly at her as she fought wearily to stay afloat. He had come to visit her only one before since her arrival in the pond. He had called out to her, demanded to know where the _thing_ she had stolen was, but she did not reply. If Redsplash had known whatever the cursed thing _was_, she would have told him long ago. Her powerful resistance to, and near love of, pain had limits, as every living and non-living thing does. To get rid of the pain from her legs and from the many cuts on her pelt, Redsplash would have told him the location of anything in the world, if she only where anything important _was_. But he had not visited her again up until now, which was why she bothered paying attention to him at all.

"I won't tell you, you know. You can't break me." Redsplash said, her voice cracked but still laughing and scornful. She had decided, as soon as she had become coherent, not to let the ferret think that she had no idea as to the whereabouts of whatever he had lost was. If he knew, without any doubt, that Redsplash had lost something he valued and there was no way he would ever get it back, he would kill her. And no death the ferret dealt would be pleasant, unless he made a mistake. And the ferret never made mistakes.

"Everything breaks, Brighteye." The ferret replied, crouching on the edge of the stream and looking at her calmly, "Some things are just too stupid to realize when they're broken." 

Redsplash shook her head, using up some of her precious little remaining energy, "You're wrong, you Nameless Bastard. I can't be broken.  Not by you." She giggled, finding her own garbled voice humorous, and drifted listlessly as she used one drenched paw to remain afloat, "Not by a bastard whose mother didn't see fit to give him a name."

The Nameless One paused, as if considering if he should be angry or amused. After a long moment he said, "How long have you been in that water?"

"How would I know? Do you think I've been _counting_? Oh, yes, here I go: one, two, three-" Redsplash snapped back, "Uh-oh." She said and unexpectedly went under the water. Several long seconds ticked by, and the otter did not surface.

"Long enough." The Nameless One decided, "Guards! Bring the otter out and chain it somewhere where the sun will burn it. Still no food, and no more water." He turned and was gone before he could see Redsplash sink her teeth into the paw of the first guard that tried to fish her out. 

~

Redsplash wondered briefly why she could not have been born a rock. Rocks wrists weren't tied loosely to posts so that the sun beat down on them the entire day, and they did not need food or water. Rocks weren't beaten and cut and no one attempted to break a rock. Rocks were strong, and they didn't feel pain. Redsplash wanted to be a rock. That way, hopefully, someone would pick her up and fling her at the Nameless One's head. Oh, what a joy that would be. As an otter, it would take something considerably large to chunk her at the Nameless One's head with any accuracy, and Redsplash would prefer it if anything that big kept it's stinky paws to itself.

She'd had no water for around two and a half days, and no food for a long, long time. The chain that attached her wrist to the sturdy wooden post gave her enough room to lay on the ground, but not enough to get anywhere near any thing resembling shade. She felt burned from the outside by the sun and the pain from her two broken legs kept her from moving much as she lay, sprawled in a carefully nonchalant pose she had made when she still possessed the ability to think straight and move. Her eyes were half-closed, as she lacked the energy and the ability to close them all the way or open then anymore, and she was barely breathing as she danced drunkenly along the thin line between the realms of sanity and insanity. Not that Redsplash had been what most would call 'sane' for a very long time, not since…before. Oh, yes, it would be so much fun being a rock.

"Red? Red, are you alive?" asked an urgent voice.

_That's funny_, Redsplash thought dazedly as she awoke slowly from her light slumber. She didn't remember falling to sleep. But then…who _does_ remember falling asleep, anyway?

"Red!" the voice came again, followed by a brief pain on her face. Someone she knew had just slapped her. 

Slowly she felt someone open her right eye all the way and she concentrated on Adthe's face. "Red?" he asked, frowning worriedly down at her. Seeing as how her lips were practically glued together from the sun, she did not attempt anything stupid, like talking, but merely closed her eyes as far as she could again and tried to go back to sleep. 

So Adthe was here, why did it matter? Hadn't he escaped before, during the rebellion that had failed? Maybe this was just a dream. If it was a dream, it was a very annoying one. She would prefer a dream with food, water, and perhaps a nice pointy spear to jab the Nameless One with, not one in which some idiotic friend of Fatefiend kept trying to talk to her. _Stupid idiot…_

Suddenly a blazing pain caused her to sit right up, her lips to snap open, and both eyes to widen to their fullest extent. Adthe, it seemed, had gotten a very bright idea and tried setting her broken legs. The bastard. 

"So you _are_ alive." He said, and if all her energy had not fled her at that very moment, and if she had not fainted dead away, she would have killed him for the smugness in his voice.

~

"Wake up, otter." Snapped a cold voice, followed by a quick and unwelcome kick to the ribs.

Redsplash's eyes opened slightly and she swallowed reflexively. And then marveled at the simple fact. She could swallow! She was immediately disgusted at her own joy, but just as quickly forgave herself. Adthe must have given her some water while he was here; otherwise swallowing would have been as impossible as flying. 

"I've been thinking," drawled the Unnamed One in a dangerously calm voice, "Of cutting off your tail."

Redsplash, delighting in her new found water, took aim and spat directly in the Unnamed One's angry face. He did not, for some reason, approve.

Suddenly she was bleeding. She wasn't sure how but it was there. Blood. The next hours were a blur but she remembered blood and incredible pain and the flashing of a knife. Apparently she had done the wrong thing. But it was all right. Pain was good; it meant she was alive. 

Her tired mind seemed to not be able to get a grip on all the pain, as if it was too much for her to understand, but she remembered opening her mouth to shout something and being aware of the fact that her lips were split and she, before she could react, swallowed some of her own blood. She did not know how many times she was cut, since her confused mind smeared all the pain together, unable to comprehend the hurt of each new slash in her burned skin. She knew though, that if she lived through this, once her mind worked again, it was going to hurt extremely badly. It almost made her wish she were dead. Almost.  She had some things to do before she died. Such as make the Nameless One beg for death and force him to eat his own eyes before she killed him.

 Redsplash was not sure when her mind sort of shut down, leaving her without the ability to think straight and without the capability to feel pain, but it did and she went into a semi-unconscious state seconds later. It was a strangely comfortable experience, being unable to think. It was like, she realized, that second of peaceful lack you experience right before waking up, when you're almost still asleep, but your eyes are wide open. She could see the sky, and could feel the odd sensation of her own blood flowing over her pelt, but not the pain that should have accompanied it. She could hear, distantly, the faint roar of something like an ocean, and if she tried really hard she could almost smell the salt of it…but she only breathed in the smell for a few seconds, and then she drifted off to relaxation.  

However, peace had never lasted long in Redsplash's life, and her mind woke up again after some immeasurable amount of time had passed. Redsplash looked tiredly around, still not able to feel the pain, though she knew it must had been immense. She sat up a bit, propping herself up on her scraped elbows and looking around. Blood was everywhere, smeared across her face, paws, the rock she was standing on. It was strange, since Redsplash's vision seemed to be flickering between black and grays and colors. The red, though, she could always see. It was beautiful, in its way. 

"Now, otter, I'm giving you one more chance." The Nameless One proclaimed calmly, "Tell me where it is or I'll throw you in your little habitat with lots and lots of murderous pike that will rip you apart and digest you." 

Redsplash frowned at him and, slowly, climbed to her feet. She felt some half-scabbed over wound rip apart, but it was a distant feeling. It lacked the pain it should have brought. She turned, wobbling on legs that did not seem to be properly attached, and looked down. A long, long distance down, sat a splash of blue: a lake. It was not the ocean she had sensed before, but it was still undeniably water. Even from the height, though, she could make out the dark shadows of the pike underneath the water.

            Redsplash turned her unsteady gaze back at the ferret then laughed softly, in a strange high-pitched giggle, "You would never kill me. I am the only one that knows where it is." She tried to say, but her words slurred together and her tongue seemed to be too thick to fit in her mouth, which seemed as dry as a desert and itched unmercifully. 

            The Nameless One simply smirked, an expression that sent the first tendrils of terror poking into her listless mind, and pushed her off the cliff. Before Redsplash could even begin to comprehend what had happened, she was tumbling through the air, down to the water filled with pike that would slaughter her. 

            "_OF COURSE, I COULD BE **WRONG**_!" Redsplash screamed, but the words were snatched from her by the vicious wind.

 ~

            ((Right, so I'm back. Editing, you see. Not just because I sorta promised that I would, but also because I read back over it before launching into the sequel (I've finished the first chapter for the sequel and I'll be posting it later today, hopefully) and winced a couple times. So, yeah, I'm here to fix up all those wince-prone moments and probably because now I'll have something easier to do than write up whole new chapters for Destiny Bearing (the sequel.) It all ties back to my lazy nature, you see. Anyway, review if you want, and check up on the sequel if you want, I can't exactly force you to do either.))


	2. Chapter Two

(I apologize to those of you who thought Redsplash died in the last chapter. I didn't really mean to leave the chapter like that, but I did. I'm sorry.

Oh, and words like intestine, blood, cannibalistic, and died are used in this chapter. If you feel that you might become sick and/or faint from such words or simply do not want to read them, please do not read this. Thanks. By the way, if you also come across things that are not likely to happen (an otter surviving a fall from an immense height by landing on a fish) please overlook them. I wrote this after having way to much caffeine. I'm not really sure how I came up with the fish thing…)

…

Redsplash, in some twisted miracle, did not die then. Of course, considering the amazing amount of pain that resulted from the less-than-graceful-landing, she was not absolutely sure that this miracle was a good thing. She should have been maimed. A fall from that high up straight into water should have knocked her unconscious. However, thanks to an incredibly fat pike which had decided to jump out of the water for whatever sick psychotic reasons fish jump out of the water, she was alive. She had slammed into one of the pike's exceedingly fat sides, which made for a painful landing but did not shatter or break any important bones. Sadly, for the pike, Redsplash's slamming into the fish's ribs broke the majority of them, along with its spine, and the fish died.

Seconds after Redsplash hit the water, she sank. It was something relatively new to her, as she had always been able to swim for hours without tiring, and when she did sink, she did it on purpose. It took her a moment to realize that she was not dead, and yet another to regain control of all her limbs. By the time she was able to start moving, slowly, towards the surface, she was farther below the surface then she wanted to be. To make it all worse, she could barely manage to move towards the strangely shimmering surface, thanks to the little problems she was having, such as her still useless legs, the ache from landing on the pike that had probably broken at least one rib, and the amazing weakness in her body from the blood she had lost and was still losing. She wondered just how badly the Nameless One had cut her, but then decided it didn't matter, as long as it did not kill her. Of course, if it did kill her, it was all that mattered. Odd, how it worked like that.

After several dizzying tries, where she would rise up and then start sinking, and then, once more, start determinedly rising again, Redsplash broke the surface and heard the screaming. It was an echoing, keening, terrified scream with just enough disbelief in it for Redsplash to know that the screamer was dying. She whirled to see a powerfully built male otter being ripped to pieces by several gigantic pike. Well. That explained why her intestines weren't being ripped out at the moment. Hissing in anger as she realized the Nameless One had probably sent this otter to "rescue" her from the pike, get the location of whatever it was she had stolen out of her, kill her, and then report back to the ferret, Redsplash began hastily making her way towards the shore farthest away from the cliff she had just been thrown from, distancing herself from the cliff and the screaming otter. She heard the Nameless One shouting furiously, probably at the slave whose pained screams were suddenly cut short as some pike ripped out his throat.

Redsplash kept swimming as fast as she could get her dragging limbs moving, fully aware that she was going about as fast as a rather slow bug with half its legs pulled off, but she was unable to go any faster. She did not pause to feel any kind of sorrow or even think about the other otter, just took enough time to be thankful that he had been tall, and, hopefully, muscular or fat enough to keep the pike busy fighting over various of his body for long enough that she could make it to the shore. She knew she should feel pity for him, but she could only conjure up disgust. She wondered grimly how the otter had been bribed and settled on the otter's mate or children. She was able to summon up a little bit of anger at the fact that the cubs would be killed thanks to the otter's ineptitude. But it was not much anger and it did not lend her the energy she needed to make it to the distant shore.

She looked warily back at the water behind her and noticed, with disgusted shock, that it was pink. Pink with the otter's blood and pink with her own. She was growing weaker, she knew that, and she had to get out of this water before the pike got her and before the Nameless One got a boat and fished her out. She _had_ to. Thanks to the Nameless One's error she had a chance to be free and she planned to stay free. She would come back, yes, and kill the Nameless One if she found the desire, but…later. Later…yes…later, when she could move better then this. Later, when she possessed the ability to walk.

She was currently able to see the beginnings of the shore, but her strength was nearly out, and she tired from hunger and bloodless. Even her ever-smoldering anger was quieting as her tried muscles asked her over and over why she couldn't just give up, slip beneath the surface, and drown, letting it all just disappear. She almost did, twice, but each time she fought her way back to the surface and continued her slow, draining, swim to the shore which seemed to be moving away, faster and faster, no matter how steadily she swam.

Suddenly a pike swam by and Redsplash felt one of its fins brush against her nearly unprotected stomach. She was dead. The thought occurred to her and was immediately rejected. She was not dead yet and she'd be damned if she was going to let a stupid fish kill her after all this. It would be an unbearable blow to her pride.

A sharp pain in her broken right leg announced that the fish had taken a small bite out of the limb. Fortunately, in some sick way, her right leg already burned as if it was in this own personal fire, and the pain from the bite only blended with the more serious pain. She scowled and swam faster, her energy draining so fast it was amazing.

The pike continued its attack, though it seemed more interested in tormenting her than doing any actual damage as she continued her dogged attempt at getting to the nearing shore. She could stand up comfortably in the water, or could have if her legs were not broken, when the other pike struck. The two of them each grabbed a leg, as if they had plotted this all out before attacking, and began propelling backwards, dragging her back into the deeper water.

"No…" Redsplash protesting quietly, reaching out forlornly for the shore that she could have, even if she was still starved and cut, jumped to…if her legs worked. "No…" she said and felt tears, for the first time in several seasons, prickle the back of her eyelids.

The pike dragged her backwards and suddenly something flashed through her mind. She always thought of it as a vision caused by panic afterwards, but could never truly believe herself. A warrior mouse was suddenly standing on the shore and she feared him because he was obviously a warrior of good and she…well she was Redsplash, and fought for herself. He had this marvelous sword, which Redsplash would have loved to steal, in his paws as he stared at her ominously, "Redsplash." He said, his voice booming oddly.

Redsplash lifted her bloody face towards him as she started to struggle weakly against the pikes attempts to drag her into the deeps. She did not respond, couldn't, but stared up at him in awe, fear, and a weary resignation that, if she had seen in her own eyes, would have angered her enough for her to grab hold of her throat and throttle herself. Redsplash never gave up. Never.

"You cannot die here." The mouse said, "You have important things to do."

"I'm not dragging myself down, you know." Redsplash muttered weakly, but fought harder, reopening cuts that had half scabbed over and unleashing more blood into the already pink water.

"Fight!" The mouse yelled, "Or was that ferret on the cliff right about you? Dead bodies burn nicely, Redsplash, you know that. What would your mother think?"

Redsplash actually wondered if it were possible for her blood to boil, because if it weren't then something very odd was happening. She screamed in anger, hating the memories this mouse had dared to resurrect, hating him for giving them the power to bring themselves back, and swam towards the surface with strength pulled from the deep reserves hidden somewhere deep inside her, dragging the stunned pike with her towards the shore as she screamed her rage at the mouse that had dared insult her family by staining them with the memory of her failure.

She kicked her broken legs, ripped open the few still-sealed cuts, and roared her furious hate until her voice was nearly nothing and made it to a paw's length away from shore. But it was too much, even for her violent hatred. The pain, the hunger, and the total lack of any energy left made it impossible for her to take one more broken step to the shore where the smirking mouse waited. She collapsed, the pike beginning to drag her back, away from the shallows, and she was unable to even lift a paw to stop it.

And then a strong paw reached down, grabbed one of her own, weak, drenched ones, and dragged her onto the shore. The pike, terrified of being out of water, flopped around until they managed to jump back into the water and Redsplash lay bleeding and panting on the sandy shore.

"Never forget, Redsplash," came the mouse's voice, now distant, "sometimes you must hurt your friends to keep them whole." Redsplash wouldn't have thanked the mouse for saving her life even if she could, it was not her way.

She looked around, knowing she'd have to move or the ferret would find her. The Nameless One would use all his power to track her down and bring her back, because he needed information she didn't have.

She spotted a nearby stream and pulled herself towards it. She knew this area very, very well. It had once been her home. Redsplash immediately banished all thoughts of her once home out of her mind and pulled herself, by the thick, strong, grass, towards the nearby stream, jaw set in determination. She was leaving a bloody trail, but that was all right. As long as she could get in the water she would be fine. Or, at least, that's what her half-crazed mind told her as it fought to keep itself awake, fought against all the pain that threatened to kill her at any second.

Finally she was close to the stream and she fell into it and sunk to the bottom. She stared tiredly up at the surface, wondering where she was going to summon the energy to get to the top this time. The water was running pink but she couldn't understand why, as her fatigued mind began to shut itself down, not able to take the pain any longer. She lifted one paw weakly towards the surface and then let it drop, a weak protest at a fate she couldn't fight. But then something settled over her that she felt all the time but rarely recognized: self-loathing. Immediately she felt the annoyance at herself descend over her and felt her broken legs suddenly tense and spring her to the surface, unable to let herself die like that, deeply disgusted at her own weakness.

And all of this was really beginning to make her wonder if it was all worth it.

She floated on the surface, the only thing she had the energy left to do right now. The next week or so was a haze, and she only remembered being fished out of the creek by a fox and sold, as a slave, somewhere. She was too weak to even open her eyes, let alone fight back or protest.

It was too much, all this pain and the sudden gaining and then losing of freedom. It hurt her in her heart and she wasn't used to fighting that type of pain, so she just floated somewhere between life and death, turned away from the Dark Forest's Gates every time she appeared before them by a warrior mouse that seemed to get less and less angry and more and more worried each time she showed up battered, bleeding, and weak.

…

When Redsplash first woke everything seemed to be drenched in blood and twitching oddly. She could not focus on any one thing, because everything seemed to be trying to move away from her eyesight, as if her stare burned them. She felt something brush her forehead and recognized only after what seemed an entire lifetime that it was cold. With a moan of protest she reached for it, trying to shrug it off, but could not move her arm. She tried to lift her neck, or shake her head but couldn't seem to remember how that was supposed to work.

Dark browns and a shocking slash of white moved across her vision, followed by a glowing green. Redsplash gaped up at the colors as they, in contrast with the moving landscape behind them, stayed still. Sounds, almost recognizable as words, flowed past her. She spoke, but could not hear what it was she said, and, also, did not think the words made it past her mouth. If they did, whatever it was that had spoken to her did not respond except for a single syllable that washed over her. Redsplash blinked her eyes, and felt something deep and heavy reach up, and she let herself slowly sink back to sleep.

…

The next time she came to consciousness, it was because she was burning. It felt like a thousand tiny blue fires were personally scorching every single inch of skin. Her eyes were boiling, her mouth completely dry, and something was over her, pulling her down, adding to the strange feeling of complete panicking fatigue. With a small, angry sound that tore at her throat, Redsplash yanked whatever it was off of her. Her eyes managed to focus on the dark gray blanket as it went flying across whatever room she was in.

"Awake, are we?" Inquired an unfamiliar voice, the owner of which Redsplash couldn't spot. "You've been really sick, you know. Out for nearing half a season."

Surprised by this, Redsplash tried to sit up, to object, to do _something_, but could not find the energy to even blink her wide eyes closed. An amused snort announced the speaker's feelings, and something cold and tasteless was rolling down her throat. Redsplash choked, rolled, and twitched, which was met with an outright laugh. Annoyed by this mocking behavior, Redsplash swallowed quickly and tried again to locate whoever it was that was near her. Instead, she only felt a strangely powerful urge to sleep.

"Confused? Well. Don't worry. It's just water…with a bit of medicine in it to help you sleep."

Redsplash felt a brief surge of anger, black coloring in a pool of light blue, before slipping underneath the surface and blacking out.

…

When Redsplash finally woke up with full control, she murmured feebly and yanked weakly on the chains that were locked around her wrists. Chains. Her tormented mind snapped awake and she sat up, mouth open in a soundless scream of disbelief. No! She couldn't be back in the Nameless One's castle! NO!

"Calm down, otter." Said a voice, with a slight northern accent.

Redsplash twitched violently and yanked at the chains feebly before falling back to the cold metal table she was chained to. She closed her eyes and wondered what tortures the Nameless One had planned _this_ time.

"Where am I?" She asked, surprised by the fragility in her voice.

"I think I should ask the questions, if you don't mind too much." The voice said, sounding slightly amused. "What's your name?"

"What's _yours_?" Redsplash returned quickly.

This was followed by silence then, "Answer the question, otter. I don't like having my questions being thrown back at me."

"Well, you'd best prepare yourself for disappointment." Redsplash snapped and began checking to see what all worked. She clenched her paws and then unclenched them, surprised at the fact that it didn't hurt much, just a little sore. She tired, carefully, lifting one leg and then bending it at the knee and was surprised when her legs didn't move at all. In fact, they felt like they were wrapped in something. "What's on my legs?" She demanded coldly. Her energy and anger was back, thankfully, and she could be defiant again.

"Splints, but you won't need them much longer. Your legs are almost healed. They'll scar, by the way. They were badly infected." The voice replied, "You were incredibly well beaten when we got you."

Redsplash rolled her eyes and completed the sentence, "Back."

"What?"

"Back. When you got me back." Redsplash said, getting annoyed.

"No." The voice said, "When we got you."

"Back." Redsplash said, once again.

A faint growl of annoyance was audible and caused Redsplash to freeze. Ferrets didn't growl like that. Foxes didn't growl like that. Rats, weasels, and stoats didn't growl like that. Even the one wolf she'd heard didn't growl like this. She hadn't heard a growl like that before but she was pretty much certain it didn't come form a mouse or any other relatively weak creature. That left badger and wildcat. Of the two she'd take a badger. Badgers, as a rule, didn't go around murdering otters.

"What are you?" Redsplash said softly.

There was a pause then light filled the room and Redsplash looked around until she saw who she had been talking too. The wildcat was gigantic. He was easily three times her size and his arms were about the size of her head, which wasn't at all reassuring; she had a pretty big head. His claws were half out and dyed red…or, at least, Redsplash _hoped_ that was dye. She wasn't exactly afraid of the wildcat, but she was most definitely not happy to see him.

"Oh." Redsplash said, then, "When'd you arrive?"

"Arrive where?"

"In the Nameless One's castle."

"Ah. You came from _his_ place. I was wondering."

"Whatever you're trying to tell me, I'm not going to believe it." Redsplash said. She would rather accept she was back at the Nameless One's castle then be told she'd been captured by _another_ evil warlord.

"You still think you're at the Nameless One's castle, don't you?" the wildcat said, looking amused.

"I _am_." Redsplash said.

The wildcat smirked and moved forward, snapping the chains that kept her to the smooth metal platform easily. Chains that were huge and solid. Chains that could have held twenty Redsplashs easy. Before she could bolt for the door, he gripped her by the back of the neck, lifted, and began walking along easily, carrying her about foot above the ground.

"Eh." Redsplash said, unable to really say anything else, and kicked him solidly in the stomach.

He never broke stride but kept walking, as if he hadn't even felt her kick. "Eh." Redsplash repeated and kicked him again.

"Stop speaking." The wildcat said, once again ignoring her kicks.

"Eh, eh, eh." Redsplash responded and kicked him three times.

He shook her once and Redsplash suddenly realized how easy it would be to break her neck. She gave him one more solid kick muttered, "Eh." Once more, but under her breath, and then said and did nothing.

Suddenly she was set down somewhere where she could feel the wind and where it was incredibly cold. Redsplash whirled, moving before she could think. Wind meant outside. Outside meant she might be able to get away. This thought was quiet effectively killed, however, when she realized she was on a balcony about six stories up. She looked around in wonder and realized she was nowhere near the comfortable warmth of the west; she was somewhere far, far, north. Snow, though it was only fall, blanketed the place and Redsplash's teeth started chattering immediately. She was not used to anything resembling cold.

The wildcat looked at her, darkly amused by her bewilderment, "As you can see," he said, "this isn't the Nameless One's domain."

Redsplash paused, something close to fear boiling deep in her stomach as she recalled the only tribe of wildcats she'd ever heard of that lived in the north. "Who are you?"

"Who are _you_?"

"Redsplash." Redsplash said, too worried about self-preservation to play the games she normally excelled at. "Who are you?"

"Darkclaw Warheart." The wildcat said and Redsplash's worries were confirmed. Without another thought she lunged at the rail of the balcony, reached it, and then jumped over the railing and towards the ground.

Suddenly she was caught, once again by the back of her neck, and pulled back up onto the balcony. "You're not a bird. Don't try to fly again." The wildcat growled, holding Redsplash by the scruff of the neck as he walked out of the balcony and back into the first room and then closing the door. This time though Redsplash didn't just kick, she struggled. She was strong for an otter and she could tell that though she wasn't able to get free or seriously injure the wildcat, she was annoying him at least.

"I see you know my last name." The wildcat observed as he kicked the heavy door closed and leaned against it.

"Yes." Redsplash snapped, baring her teeth in a snarl. It felt good to be defiant again, even if she was in as bad a situation as she had been in the Nameless One's castle.

He stared at her, as if looking for fear and then shrugged, "Well, you were not bought to be eaten."

Redsplash relaxed momentarily then tensed again, "Then why?"

The Warheart wildcats ate everything from mice to badgers…though they only killed badger when something extremely important had happened, such as the death of a king that had reached past a hundred seasons. Warheart wildcats respected badgers, though the respect was rarely mutual. Wolves were the only thing excluded from the menu, and only then because the first Warheart, a pitch black wildcat from a distant land, would have died if not saved by a pack of wolves.

He shrugged, "We heard of an otter slave that broke free from one of an ally's fortress over in the south. We have since found that it wasn't you."

"How do you know?" If the wildcat thought she was an escaped slave from the south he would either have to take her back there or one of the wildcats from the south would have to come get her, which, either way, meant she would be traveling over land. And travel over land allowed for a chance of escape.

He looked at her, amused, "For one, you're not as strong as this one is supposed to be."

Redsplash, offended at the way he'd implied she was weak, bared her teeth and growled, "Give me a dagger and I'll show you how weak I am."

"All right." The wildcat remarked agreeably and tossed her a large dagger from its sheath at his belt.

Redsplash caught it and stared dumbly down at it. "Well…uh…_that_'s not what I expected." She looked doubtfully up at the wildcat whose grin was entirely too amused, "What's the trick?"

He shrugged and Redsplash's frown deepened. She held the dagger up closer to her face, trying to read the symbols inscribed on the blade, when she heard a faint clicking noise that was growing more urgent every second. With a yelp she dropped the blade and a second later twin blades snapped out of the hilt. If Redsplash had still been holding that she wouldn't have a paw anymore.

She glared at the wildcat who looked ready to start laughing any second now. "Charming little trick there." Redsplash snapped and picked up the dagger, carefully, by its blade, looking at the two knives that were now resetting themselves in the hilt. She noticed the liquid on the blades and scowled at him. "You poisoned them, too?"

When he spoke, he seemed to be losing the battle to not laugh, "Yes. If that poison had gotten into your blood you'd have spent days screaming before you died."

"Lovely." Redsplash snapped and threw the dagger like a throwing knife. She'd once been an expert knife thrower, long ago, and though her skills were rusty, she was still good.

The wildcat's reflexes were better though, and he dodged nimbly to the side while the dagger imbedded itself into soft wood of the wall where his head had been only second ago. He glanced at the dagger, then at Redsplash, and then laughed. It wasn't a loud laugh, but it was incredibly mocking and Redsplash did not like being mocked. At the moment she'd have sold what was left of her soul if she could have the splints off her legs so she could lunge at the wildcat and dig his eyes out.

The wildcat smirked at her after her finished laughing and turned towards the door. "Well, little otter, I'll see you soon. I must figure out how you got loose from the Nameless One."

Redsplash snarled and bared her teeth, "I'll die before I go back there."

His amusement was obvious as he opened the door and answered. "Don't tempt me to send you back. I haven't liked the Nameless One ever since he arrived on these shores, but it would be more amusing to watch you try to kill yourself than to taunt the Nameless one with an escaped slave."

Redsplash scowled as he slammed the door shut and then locked it, leaving her in a small room with nothing to do but wait. She had nothing to fight with and didn't want to think so she sat on the cold floor, leaning against the door, and closed her eyes. She might as well sleep. She didn't want to think about the wildcat, because she knew that if she had the kind of power he did she'd probably think exactly like him and find her pathetic attempts at bravado and defiance as immensely amusing as he had seemed too.

…

((Hey, kids, the saga continues. Edited chapter two. And only about six months after I edited chapter one! Wow. You don't usually see that kind of progress from me.))


	3. Chapter Three

Ten days later as Redsplash lay on the dirty floor, she heard the door rattling. She opened one eye and watched as the door opened, expecting the slave that showed up with her food and water every day, or, perhaps, the wildcat she hadn't seen since the first day she woke. However, it wasn't the slave or the wildcat she was expecting. It was a wildcat, yes, but a shorter, skinnier one than he first once she'd see. The resemblance between them screamed sibling, but while Redsplash felt extremely grudging respect and anger towards the first wildcat, Darkclaw, this one just disgusted her.

He moved as if he always got what he wanted and looked down at Redsplash with the amount of disgust Redsplash would use if she were looking at something particularly revolting she'd just stepped in. His tunic was entirely too clean, and his claws were dyed black. Symbols meaning death, destruction, and pain were scrawled neatly across his face in red war paint and a sword hung from his belt that Redsplash could tell was entirely for decoration.

He stared down at her for a moment more then reached down, grabbed her elbow, and tried to yank her to her feet. Redsplash let all her muscles relax and when the wildcat pulled her elbow up she went with it, but her legs still dragged uselessly at the ground. He scowled, picked her up by her neck, and set her on her feet. Redsplash immediately collapsed, fighting to keep her muscles from responding to anything and to keep the smirk off her face.

His paw connected violently with her jaw the third time he set her on her feet and Redsplash ended the game she'd been playing by baring her fangs and growling. He ignored her anger and circled her. Redsplash twisted her head to watch him, but didn't turn. She wasn't threatened enough by him to worry about having him at her back, but she wouldn't take her eyes off him. He wasn't threatening her, but it was never wise to ignore anything that was two times your size and willing to shed your blood.

The wildcat stopped when he was directly in front of her and nodded slightly. "I suppose you'll do…" he said, frowning slightly, "Not much meat, but otter muscle is always good, and you're young enough…"

Redsplash took a step back and bared her fangs again, "You try to eat me, cat, and I'll kill you."

The wildcat blinked at her, as if wondering if she was done, then said, "If threats by your kind were ever true, I would have died a thousand deaths by now. be."

Redsplash straightened and scowled at the wildcat, while moving slowly towards the door he'd foolishly left open, "I assure you, cat, I mean what I say."

"And so did the rest of them." The wildcat replied, "Now you're going to start sprouting some nonsense about how your friends will avenge you."

"I am not." Redsplash said, offended, "I have no friends."

"Well, that's irritating." The wildcat said, shaking his head, "It was always so much fun killing the friends as well."

"I believe you." Redsplash said, and rolled her eyes. One more step and the wildcat wouldn't be blocking her from the door and she could get out.

"You should. I never lie."

Redsplash decided that it was time she tried her little escape plot. She got around two steps away from the door when a paw grabbed the back of her neck. Redsplash found herself shoved against the wall, the paw that had just recently been at the back of the neck putting pressure on the front, strangling her.

As he killed her he explained, "Strangulation is one of the more easy ways to kill prey and keep from damaging any good meat." Redsplash managed to sink her teeth into his paw but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he laughed.

Redsplash struggled wildly, panicking when she felt numbness beginning to seep over her mind. She was about to stop struggling, almost dead, when something roared. Redsplash would have reacted, if she had been able to, because that roar was very near and very alarming.

Suddenly the wildcat let go and Redsplash slumped to the ground, breathing heavily as the watched Darkclaw picked up the other wildcat and throw him across the room.

"I _told_ you to leave this slave alone, Bluefang!" Darkclaw roared and slammed the wildcat's head up against the wall.

The other, smaller, wildcat bared his blue fangs in a daze, "Don't order me around, younger brother."

Darkclaw paused and then nodded, as if deciding, "Yes, I'm going to kill you." He said and tightened his paws around the wildcat's neck.

The wildcat responded, voice rough and panicked, "You kill me and you die!"

"Always wanted to try that." Darkclaw growled.

"Silverdawn will die!" The wildcat said weakly.

Darkclaw roared again and tossed his brother against the wall, effectively ending the wildcat's consciousness. "Damn this!" He shouted and turned, eyes bright and blazing at Redsplash who was crouched in the shadows, paws clenched into fists. His eyes narrowed for a minute and then he shook his head, "This is your fault, by the way." He said, his voice returning to the calm, half amused tone Redsplash had heard before.

"What's my fault?" Redsplash asked cautiously, eyes flickering to the door.

"Mostly your fault. Some of the blame is mine." He corrected.

"Blame from _what_?" Redsplash snapped.

"I informed the Nameless One that you were currently a…guest at this castle. In response he sent a fox, a ferret, and a stoat to drug and kidnap my younger sister. He informed me yesterday that she is currently a 'guest' at his castle, the same way I informed him you were here."

"I am _so_ sorry." Redsplash said darkly, "I'll just march right on back there."

Darkclaw scowled at her, "Otters always did annoy me, and you're no acceptation. Stop acting as if I wouldn't kill you."

"You wouldn't." Redsplash replied, "I'm too important. You can't get your sister back without me, and the Nameless One needs me alive."

"And why is that? What did you do?"

"Helped plot a rebellion that would bring his son to power and stole something from him." Redsplash responded sharply, disliking his tone of voice that suggested he doubted she'd done anything but escape.

"You're a thief?" Darkclaw asked, looking amused.

"Yes." Redsplash said and straightened. For the moment the wildcat thought her amusing, which probably meant he wouldn't trade her for his sister, because, of course, he had to know he would never get his sister back alive. The wildcat would be lucky if he even got the corpse back in one piece.

"What did you steal?" Darkclaw asked, smirking lightly.

"That's not your problem, is it?" Redsplash replied. Of all the things she didn't want this wildcat to know, the fact that she couldn't even remember the thing the Nameless One was pursuing her for was right up in the top five.

He paused, considering, then shrugged, "I suppose not."

Bluefang moaned softly and began picking himself off the floor and Darkclaw kicked him in the forehead, slamming his brother's head back against the wall and rendering him, once again, unconscious. While the wildcat's attention was centered on seeing if Bluefang would stay down this time, Redsplash turned and sprinted out of the door. She heard Darkclaw yell a curse that she hadn't even _heard_ before and mentally filed it away for future use.

She wasn't the best runner after being shackled so she could barely walk let alone run, but she doubted the wildcat was all that much of a sprinter either. From what she could tell he was good at lunging around in small spaces, as he'd managed to keep her from jumping off a balcony with his speed, but he didn't look like the type of creature built for chases down long hallways. She reached an intersection in the hallways and took about a second's time to choose the left fork, the one from which voices were could _not_ be heard.

She continued running, right past a statue of an amazingly large, golden, male wildcat with a thoughtful expression on his face while he stepped on the heads of a fox and a badger, another wildcat, female, crouched on the ground by the male's feet, baring silver fangs, with a spear in one paw and a sword in the other. Two seconds later Redsplash came running, backwards this time, back to look at the statue. A grin bloomed on her face and she dived into the gap between the statue and the wall, looking at the hall, waiting for the wildcat to come running by. She only had to wait a few seconds. She watched him carefully as he jogged by, an amazingly large broadsword in his left paw, teeth bared in agitation. Redsplash smiled her relief and waited several more seconds, to make sure he didn't double back before slipping out from behind the statue and walking, calmly, back to the fork in the hallways and taking the right fork this time.

She passed a rather aged looking female wildcat and kept her head bent, eyes on the ground, before crouching on the ground as if bowing. Actually, she was making sure that if this old grandmother wildcat decided to sound the alarm Redsplash could leap upwards and knock the wind out of her. But the wildcat did not respond, as she continued her dignified march down the hallways. As soon as the wildcat was past her, Redsplash jumped soundlessly to her feet and started running again. She came to a heavy door and pulled it opening, looking around uneasily when it creaked open. She peered with interest into the garden, and then hurried into it.

It wasn't what she'd call beautiful, as the only thing Redsplash would currently consider beautiful would be a nice score or two of wolves or badgers to keep Darkclaw and his little family busy while she escaped, but it was far from what she'd call ugly. She knew almost instantly that it was an indoor garden, because it she wasn't cold, but also because instead of a sky, there was a ceiling. Flowers of all colors bloomed among plants of all sizes. Redsplash hurried forward, to a fork she had seen in the dirt path that was bordered by dense plant growth on both sides, and took a left. She heard water nearby, and water was always a good thing.

She came to the large fountain about a minute later. It was made of a pure white stone that seemed odd when placed among the dark reds, greens, and browns from the nearby flowers, ferns, and paths, but gave off a tranquil feeling that Redsplash could feel emanating through out the entire garden. Whoever took care of this place was most defiantly not as violent and angry as Darkclaw and the rest of his kin.

The pool of water that made up most of the fountain was large enough and deep enough for Redsplash to sit comfortably on the bottom without having to worry about an ear touching the surface. The statue that rose from the water was a pure white as the rock around it, and life-size. It showed a young female wildcat, dressed in a simple dress, looking peacefully down at a flower that she held in her right hand, the flawless flower still attached to the stem. Flowing from the wildcat's eyes were twin streams of water; the peaceful looking wildcat was crying. The water ran down her face, and dripped to the pond below. However, standing next to this peaceful, crying but smiling, wildcat was a mirror image of her. Except this wildcat held a sword, pointed downwards, and a ferocious expression that seemed somehow weary. She looked like she was ready to fight, to kill, but also as if she saw through it all, saw through the anger, and the pain, and the willingness to shed blood and saw the uselessness of it all. This wildcat, Redsplash supposed, was the darker side of the first one. The sword she held clenched in one paw had a stream of water running down the blade and Redsplash stared at it with slight confusion on her face.

Suddenly Darkclaw appeared on the other side of the fountain, huge broadsword in hand, and Redsplash looked up at him warily. "I gave this to my sister two seasons ago, when she first got the idea for a garden." He said, gesturing at the fountain with his huge sword. He looked around and shook his head, "It's dying." He said, his gaze falling upon flowers that had just begun to show signs of wilting, bushes with some dead leaves. As he looked around, a slightly regretful expression formed on his normally emotionless or mocking face, "No one cares for it because no one cares about it."

"Is the sword drooling?" Redsplash asked, looking at the stream of water that splashed off the tip of the sword into the pond.

"No." he said and shook his head, "When I first gave it to my sister, the sword bled blood I took from the slaves. She wouldn't put it in her garden until I took out all the blood and replaced it with water." He shook his head, "She said this garden was to be the one place she could get away from all the bloodshed, all the pain."

"Sounds like a peaceful creature to me." Redsplash said, her voice expressionless though anyone who knew her well would have noticed the contempt in her face.

The wildcat, though, was staring at his own reflection without seeing it, "She said if you looked into the pond you could see your opposite."

"Your what?" Redsplash said, glancing uneasily down at the cool water.

"She saw a warrior." He said, "That's what the statue means, and that's what the inscription says."

"What inscription?"

"It's over here, at their feet." He said, gesturing with a paw at twin stone wildcats. "It's says: 'Look into the water, and see your forsaken self.' She used to say it only worked if you did something, but I never really listened to her."

"Is that the sister the Nameless One took?" Redsplash asked, frowning slightly. She wasn't sure what to think about this nonsense with a reflection and a forsaken self.

"Yes. I only have the one. Silverdawn." He said and bared his teeth in anger as his eyes rose to look at the statues.

Redsplash felt a pang of something she couldn't place deep in her stomach. It might have been compassion but she was placing her bet on hunger. Redsplash rarely, if ever, felt empathy. Still, it was slightly irritating that an innocent creature had been taken captive to be used to get Redsplash to be brought back. Redsplash knew that the Nameless One had probably done this to prove yet another annoyingly distressing point to Redsplash: She would allow innocents to die so that she could remain free.

"I have yet to see anything but myself in my reflection though." Darkclaw said, standing back and shaking his head, "So I doubt what my sister said was true to anybody but herself."

Redsplash frowned and stepped forward, glancing down at the water, "There's something down there." She informed him, ignoring her reflection, and staring at the shimmer of metal underneath the water.

"Really?" Darkclaw said, sounding only slightly interested, "What?"  
Redsplash paused, and then dunked her head under the water, sliding forward on her stomach until she was completely submersed in the cool, but not cold, water. She stared at the silver plaque a moment before her she allowed her hear to rise to the surface, "There's a plaque with words on it." She said and noticed Darkclaw had come halfway around the fountain while she'd been underwater.

"What's it say?" he demanded, his face frowning.

Redsplash scowled, "I dunno." She said, "I can't read."

He looked at her as if slightly surprised, then blinked the expression off his face, "Don't tell me you don't know everything." He said, his voice slightly mocking, "I thought you were perfect."

Redsplash rolled her eyes, "I was learning to read when…my learning got interrupted. I know the _letters_ I just don't know the words."

"Well spell the letters out and I'll tell you the words." Darkclaw said; left paw still clenched around the hilt of his broadsword.

"Only if you promise not to kill me." Redsplash responded. "Ever." She said after a minute.

Darkclaw shook his head, "Finding out what my sister wrote is not so important to me that I'll promise not to kill you. But I will swear not to kill you unless you give me a very good reason."

"Very, very good reason." Redsplash countered.

"Fine." Darkclaw said, rolling his eyes.

"Good." Redsplash said with a nod, smirked, and dove under the surface.

It took them twenty dives and surfaces before they figured out what the plaque said, and Redsplash didn't recognize one of the letters so she had to draw it out in the sand. She wasn't the best of all artists, but she wasn't the worst, and she and Darkclaw got in an argument when the wildcat compared her drawing skills to that of a drunken toad with no hands. Finally, though, they worked it out and Darkclaw, who'd been writing the letters in the dirt of the path with read them aloud. "Warrior discard your sword, thief put down your blade, look into the water now, and see your true self fade."

"What is that, a riddle or a poor attempt at poetry?" Redsplash demanded, frowning.

"My sister was never good at either riddle or poetry." Darkclaw said and scowled, "I think perhaps she did this to finally get someone to read one of her attempts."

Redsplash snickered, "Or maybe she was telling you how to see you 'other self'." She said and snickered again.

Darkclaw blinked, "Perhaps." He said and dropped his broadsword right in front of Redsplash, and started walking towards the fountain.

"Aren't you worried I'll stab you in the back?" Redsplash demanded, annoyed that he'd dropped his sword and walked away without once looking back.

"Don't flatter yourself, otter, you couldn't lift that blade if you tried." Darkclaw said without looking back and Redsplash could sense the smirk in his voice and scowled. She reached down and tried to lift the blade, and nearly broke her back in the attempt. She dropped the hilt quickly; she'd only managed to lift half of the huge sword, and even then not very far off the ground, and kicked the huge sword's hilt in annoyance before stalking over to where the wildcat was.

He seemed to be staring down at his reflection in surprise and slight disgust and didn't notice when she came up a few paw lengths away. Redsplash glanced down at the water, and immediately froze. Staring back at her was a smiling otter with flowers in one hand and a flute in the other. She looked exactly like Redsplash except she had no scars, no hate, and, though she still had the same fearless gaze as Redsplash, she looked as if she'd never seen anything that was even vaguely connected to bloodshed and torture.

Redsplash scowled and spat at her reflection, watching with delight as the image was shattered by ripples, before turning to see Darkclaw back where he'd left his sword, picking up the blade and shaking his head. "Apparently I could have been a scholar." Darkclaw said dryly, as he sheathed the huge blade.

"I could have been a happy little weakling." Redsplash snapped.

Darkclaw looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, "I see, and what a tragedy it would have been for you to be a happy little weakling instead of an annoyingly cynical little weakling." He said.

Redsplash looked at him in surprise. It had been a very long time sense someone had called her a weakling. She considered being angry and then just shook her head, "One of these days, cat, I'm going to have a weapon when you insult me."

"Terror strikes." Darkclaw said dryly, "You didn't do so well when I gave you that dagger."

"My legs were still in splints then." Redsplash reminded him, and shook her head, "But it doesn't matter. Back to the jail cell I go, I suppose."

"I don't know." Darkclaw said, "There's no real reason to keep you around, you know. We have stopped our flesh eating habits for the next month, in respect of Silverdawn's capture, and when we pick them up again there will be plenty of slaves, enough so that we don't need you. And you aren't exactly cleaning slave material, clumsy as you are."

"I am not clumsy!" Redsplash objected, but Darkclaw wasn't really listening.

"And we do not need a slave we don't use. Perhaps we should send you back to the Nameless One, as much as we dislike him. We could use an alliance with him." He paused, brow furrowing as he thought.

"I'm not going back there." Redsplash said, frowning slightly.

"Incase you haven't noticed, otter, you don't really have a choice." Darkclaw responded, still not really looking at her as he thought.

"I have a name, you know, and it's not 'otter'." Redsplash snapped, and scowled, "And I always have a choice, cat. Always."

"I disagree, and I know you have a name, the Unnamed One told me what it was."

"He probably told you the wrong one, and I don't care if you disagree, it's the truth."

Darkclaw shook his head, "I won't argue with you, otter, and I really don't care what your name is."

"If you send me back there, and I escape, which I will do because I've done it before, I will kill you." Redsplash said and she meant what she said, not that she truly believed she could escape the Nameless One again, but if she managed it, she would kill this wildcat, if he didn't kill her, that is.

"As I told my brother, otter," Darkclaw said, smirking down at her, "I've always wanted to try dying."

Before Redsplash could respond a ferret came running up, panting. Seeing Darkclaw he bowed hurriedly and said, still panting, "An ambassador from the Nameless One arrived a few moments ago. He's come to take the otter."

Redsplash's eyes connected with Darkclaw's and she saw his mouth twist into a cold smirk, "Looks like you _are_ going back, otter." The wildcat said, voice completely devoid of the mockery that was evident on his face.

"We'll see." Redsplash replied and bared her fangs in defiance.

…

((Hey, two chapters edited in one day. Whoa. I'd better slow down. Wouldn't want to strain myself.))


	4. Chapter Four

(Disclaimer: I do not own Redwall. Everything in this story that belongs to Brain Jacques belongs to him. Everything that belongs to me…belongs to me.

Sorry about the wait for this chapter, sorry it's not good, I got really annoyed with this story and thought about just forgetting I wrote it. Then I drank around five Dr. Peppers in a row and wrote this. Yeah. If I write another chapter it'll be better, I hope.)

…

A quarter of an hour later, Redsplash was being carried through the hallways by her neck again. She scowled dangerously as she tried to kick or scratch Darkclaw who held her as far away from him as he could, face emotionless except for his eyes, which glinted in annoyance. Redsplash paused for a minute, considering if she was willing to break her neck to possibly get free, and then decided she wasn't. Instead, she bit Darkclaw's paw viciously, drawing blood.

The wildcat glanced over at her and rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Redsplash glared and continued biting. After a few seconds she pulled her teeth out of his paw, looked for another spot to bite, and then sunk her teeth into the web of skin between Darkclaw's claws.

Hissing a curse Darkclaw slapped Redsplash on one side of the head with his other paw and Redsplash immediately went limp. Darkclaw stared at her for a minute then shook her, "I know you're not unconscious, otter." He snapped, "I didn't hit you hard enough."

Redsplash, however, didn't respond, and Darkclaw paused, shaking her again. He frowned and brought his arm closer to him, so he could see more clearly if she really was unconscious or not. Suddenly the otter's foot dug into his stomach, the other into his ribs. Before Darkclaw could react the footpaw that had been in his stomach pressed against his neck. Darkclaw hissed and flung Redsplash away, the back of her head slamming straight into a wall.

The otter staggered drunkenly to her feet and was about to take off running down the hall when Darkclaw reached down and picked her up yet again. "You do that again," Darkclaw hissed, "and I'll kill you."

Redsplash smiled lopsidedly, as if she wasn't quite in perfect control of her facial muscles yet. "No, you won't. You swore you wouldn't kill me unless it was a very, very, good reason, and me kicking you isn't that good of a reason." She said, stumbling over her words as if very drunk.

Darkclaw scowled, "I'm going to enjoy giving you off to the Nameless One."

"Aw, is it because I drew your blood in that little fight?"

"You only drew my blood, otter, because I couldn't slice you in two with my sword."

"Oh, there, there," Redsplash said, her voice mostly back to normal now, "I promise not to beat you up anymore."

He stared at her for a moment then shook his head, "If you were a wildcat you'd make a good warrior. As it is, you're only annoying to those of us who can actually fight."

"I can fight." Redsplash argued forcefully, "I proved that already."

"You drew my blood _once_." Darkclaw said, "You proved nothing."

Redsplash smirked, "Denial, denial." She said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Darkclaw bared his teeth in annoyance and shoved her up against a wall, scowling dangerously at her. Redsplash was about to make some remark about the wildcat's breath, when he said, his voice low and dangerous, "You'd think, otter, that since you were about to be taken in front of the Nameless One's ambassador, and then dragged back to Unnamed One that you'd be a bit more serious." Before she could reply he added, "If you think that you're hiding your fear from me otter, you're wrong. I'm a Warheart. I _feed_ on fear."

He paused and then let her go, shoving her lightly forward in the direction of a door. Redsplash was temporarily speechless, though she wanted to come up with some sarcastic remark about him gaining weight or starving to death, she just couldn't find a witty comeback in her. It was a very shocking experience, as witty remarks had been her only weapons against the Nameless One for a long, long time and she had thought she'd had one for every situation. _Not this one apparently, _part of her mind said mockingly. _You shut up before I gut you,_ one of the many other parts of Redsplash's mind snapped back.

"Go in." Darkclaw said, his tone saying he was darkly amused at something.

Redsplash realized she'd been staring blankly at the door she'd been shoved towards several seconds ago. "I knew that." Redsplash said, defensive, "I just didn't want to."

"Too bad. Go in." Darkclaw ordered.

"No." Redsplash replied.

"Yes."

"No." Redsplash snapped.

Darkclaw, growling in annoyance, yanked the door open, picked her up, and tossed her into the room. "Yes."

Redsplash stood up and dusted herself off, looking around. The room seemed slightly ominous, and Redsplash did not like ominous things. "Hello, ambassador." Darkclaw said, his tone threatening and mocking at the same time. If Redsplash hadn't been looking around frantically for this so called ambassador, she might have paused to memorize how he sounded, so she could use that tone someday.

She spotted the ambassador standing in front of a stained glass window, through which filtered tinted light. The creature was tall and lithe, but had its back to Redsplash and Darkclaw so she couldn't see what species it was. Slowly, though, the creature turned around, and, again, all details were hidden by the creature's long cloak. The creature straightened when it saw Redsplash, and a paw moved forward smoothly to draw back the hood.

Redsplash nearly choked in surprise when she realized who it was.

Fatefiend smirked at her shocked reaction, and her response was to spit on the floor. She wasn't sure what he thought he was doing here, but whatever it was it would probably get him killed.

"As I have no doubt you have already been told, ambassador, the otter is here." Darkclaw said, the half growl evident in his voice.

"I have eyes." Fatefiend replied softly.

Darkclaw scowled. "Why should I give you the otter?"

Redsplash frowned at the two of them, "Don't talk about me as if I'm not here."

"Because, the otter belonged to my lord in the first place." Fatefiend replied.

"But now it belongs to me." Darkclaw retorted.

"_It_?" Redsplash demanded, outraged, "I am not an it! Stop talking as if I'm not here!"

"Yes, but if you think along those lines then I can rightly say that your sister belongs to my lord." Fatefiend replied casually.

Darkclaw bared his long teeth in anger, "My sister was not a slave in the first place! You cannot enslave a member of the Warheart family!"

"With all due respect, cat," Fatefiend said coldly, "my lord already has."

Darkclaw stood for a minute as if poised between lunging at the ferret and turning to leave the room. Finally he gathered his anger back into himself and straightened, frowning down at the ferret. "I still do not see why I should give you the otter."

"My lord will return your sister if you put the otter into my care so that I might take the otter back to where it rightfully belongs."

"What guarantee do I have that Silverdawn will be returned?"

"I promise you that the youngest of your siblings will be returned once the otter is back within my lord's castle walls."

"Alive?" Darkclaw demanded.

"Of course." Fatefiend replied evenly.

"And for Silverdawn to be returned I must give up the otter?"

"Yes, that's all. Just release it into my keeping."

Redsplash scowled, "I am standing _right here_! Stop talking about me as if I weren't standing_ right in front _of you."

"I do not like this deal. You could take the otter and never return Silverdawn."

"I could." Fatefiend admitted, "But it would be favorable for my lord if he did not have to worry about a war between himself and the Warheart clan."

"He must have been feeling pretty confident if he kidnapped my sister in the first place."

"My lord did not kidnap your sister." Fatefiend replied, "She was sold as a slave into his castle by three wandering slavers. You understand, of course, that once he realized who the wildcat he was he immediately thought that the otter for the wildcat would be a more then fair trade."

Darkclaw sneered, "Your lord sent vermin to kidnap my sister. If you would lie about that, why would you not lie about releasing my sister, alive, back into my father's land?"

"Are you calling my lord a liar?" Fatefiend asked calmly.

Darkclaw scowled, and shifted his weight. Redsplash glanced at the wildcat and smirked. It was nice seeing that even Darkclaw hesitated when it came to openly insulting the Nameless One. "Yes," Darkclaw said after a moment, "I am calling your lord a liar, but I will give him a chance to disprove me."

"I am listening." Fatefiend said, and Redsplash realized she would have to give the young ferret more credit from now on. He was an incredible actor.

"I will release the otter to you, ambassador, and expect my sister back before the next full moon."

Fatefiend frowned, "That is far too short of a time. You realize, of course, that we have to cross an ocean and then travel back over it to get here again. It will be at least two full moons."

Darkclaw frowned, glanced at Redsplash and then at Fatefiend, and, slowly, nodded. "Yes, yes that will do, I suppose."

Fatefiend smiled thinly, "Thank you."

"And, to insure your safety and that of the otter and Silverdawn, I will send with you two companies of my creatures." Darkclaw added smoothly.

Redsplash saw Fatefiend tense and frown, and knew Darkclaw saw it too. Hopefully he just thought Fatefiend was surprised. "There is no real need." Fatefiend assured Darkclaw.

"I know, but I feel that I must give something in return since the Nameless One is being so generous." Darkclaw said and smiled widely, showing every single one of his very sharp teeth.

"Uh, yes." Fatefiend said, obviously disliking that smile, "Well, I thank you. I shall set out tomorrow afternoon, I think."

"Leaving so soon?" Darkclaw asked coldly.

"I do not like this northern weather." Fatefiend returned, his voice just as cold as Darkclaw, "I find it less then hospitable. If you will direct me to where I will be sleeping…"

"Ah, of course." Darkclaw said, turned, and opened the door. He talked quietly to a weasel that stood directly outside of the room. Fatefiend and Redsplash made eye contact. Redsplash raised her eyebrows. Fatefiend stuck out his tongue. _Ah, yes. Good old Fatefiend._ Redsplash thought, rolling her eyes.

The weasel came forward, bowed to Fatefiend, and led him away. Redsplash turned to scowl at Darkclaw. "I hate you." She informed him, reminding herself that she should be angry.

"I don't care." Darkclaw replied, "Come. You have to go back to the dungeons." He grabbed her elbow and dragged her out of the room.

"You know," Redsplash said, trying to yank her elbow free, "you'd make more friends if you didn't go dragging them around like this all the time."

"I don't need friends." Darkclaw said and tightened his grip on her elbow.

"Everyone needs friends." Redsplash said, still trying to free her elbow, "So they can risk, and lose, their lives for you."

"I don't need friends to protect me. I am quite capable of looking after myself." Darkclaw snapped.

Redsplash rolled her eyes and kept trying to get her elbow free, up until the time she was thrown back into the room she'd started out in. She scowled as Darkclaw slammed the door and moved back to the corner she had been sleeping in since she had woken up in this castle. She curled into a ball, sighed, and closed her eyes. Whatever game Fatefiend was playing was going to be very dangerous. Darkclaw obviously wasn't stupid.

…

Redsplash woke with a start when the door creaked open. Fatefiend stood in the doorway, glancing at the door as if it had just betrayed him. "What?" Redsplash asked quietly as she stood up, "What are you doing?" She clarified.

"Getting you out of here." Fatefiend informed her, "Without fifty of the wildcat's beasts following us."

"What a bright idea." Redsplash rolled her eyes, "Did you bring any weapons?"

"Yes." Fatefiend said, "Here." He added and drew a dagger from its sheath and handed it to her. Redsplash grinned evilly down at the blade.

"Come on." She said and dodged past him, out of the dungeon. Suddenly she stopped moving, and Fatefiend slammed into her back.

Darkclaw leaned against the wall opposite the door, "Hello." He said pleasantly.

Redsplash took off running, ducking Darkclaw's attempt to block her way. She heard Fatefiend curse, and then felt him land on the ground beside her. He'd obviously jumped. Redsplash sprinted down the hallway and turned right at the fork.

"Do you know where we're going?" Fatefiend gasped as he ran alongside her.

"No." Redsplash hissed back. "Do you?"

"Yes. Follow me." Fatefiend said, and Redsplash dropped back a few paces, letting him take the lead. They took several turns and, suddenly, were running through the hallway with the statue that Redsplash had hidden behind before. Suddenly it shifted and slid and Darkclaw stepped out of the secret passage behind it and moved quickly to block their way. Redsplash stopped short when Fatefiend suddenly stopped moving, both of them backing up slowly.

"Hello…" Fatefiend said uneasily.

"If I had wanted to capture you two, I could have done it already." Darkclaw told them smugly.

"That's lovely." Fatefiend remarked, "Come, Redsplash, we must be going now." He shoved Redsplash backwards and retreated quickly back down the hallway.

"You know as well as I do that this is the only way out of the castle." Darkclaw said, frowning. "The only way out of the third floor anyway."

"We'll just have to find a new way." Redsplash snapped.

"There isn't one."

"How about you just let us by, then?" Redsplash suggested.

"I am not letting you out of this castle unless I go with you." Darkclaw said.

Fatefiend rolled his eyes, "That's a brilliant idea. Let's let him come with us, Red, so he can kill us _outside_. I always wanted my blood to water some pretty flower."

"I never said I would kill you." Darkclaw said.

"On the count of three, we attack." Fatefiend whispered.

Redsplash glanced at him and did not agree.

"One…two…three!" Fatefiend jumped through the air. He managed to get within a foot of Darkclaw before the wildcat caught him and tossed him, incredibly more gently than he'd ever tossed Redsplash, away from him.

"Don't do that." Darkclaw ordered, "You might hurt yourself."

Fatefiend sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. He stared up at Redsplash in surprise, "Why didn't you _help_?"

"Because _I'm_ not suicidal." Redsplash said, and then turned her attention on Darkclaw, her grip tightening on the dagger she held. "Let us through."

"No." Darkclaw said and then paused, looking at the two of them as if considering something. "I'll make you a deal." He offered finally.

"What deal?" Fatefiend said quickly. Redsplash scowled at him as she helped him stand. Seeming desperate never helped in any situation.

"I will let you two go free if you agree to travel with me to the Nameless One's domain to rescue my sister. After that, I do not care where you go."

"Are you _insane_?" Fatefiend hissed, "Do you know what my father will do to me if he _ever _finds me?"

Redsplash slapped Fatefiend on the side of his head, "Why did you tell him you were the Unnamed One's son?" She demanded irritably.

"I have some ideas." Darkclaw said, ignoring Redsplash and not seeming at all surprised by Fatefiend's admission, "And he'll probably do the same to me. He might try to bargain something out of my family for my life first, but they will take no deals with him. The only one that will probably live is the otter."

"Red?" Fatefiend squeaked, looking at Redsplash with curiosity.

"You know as well as I do that the Nameless Bastard wants what I know, stupid." Redsplash said.

"But he'll kill you once he knows."

"I won't tell him." Redsplash said. This was the truth, too. Redsplash still had no clue where what she stole was, or even what she'd stolen.

"False bravado," Darkclaw said mockingly, "Something I would have expected in any other otter, but not you."

"You shut up." Redsplash snapped, "I am trying to have a conversation with my friend."

"So…what do we do?" Fatefiend whispered to Redsplash as he sent worried glances at Darkclaw.

"First of all, we take the deal." Redsplash said, "Second, we abandon him in the middle of the night. Third, we run far, far, away and never, _never_ try to get our revenge on the Nameless One."

"Right. Good." Fatefiend nodded enthusiastically. "I like it."

Redsplash looked at him reproachfully. "Well, don't get _too_ excited." She told him. "We'll still probably die."

"But we'll have a better chance of _not_ dying, right?"

Redsplash stared at him blankly. "Uh, look, we'll worry about that later. Right now we have to get out of this castle. I'll tell Darkclaw that we decided to take his deal."

"Good." Fatefiend said and glanced at the wildcat that was sliding the statue back into place, ignoring them. "Because I don't think he likes me."

Redsplash rolled her eyes and turned to Darkclaw, "We have decided to take your deal."

"Good." Darkclaw said, straightening from his work. "Follow me." He added and started walking away, down the hallway.

"Not the most talkative of all cats, is he?" Fatefiend asked as he and Redsplash hurried to keep up with the cat.

Redsplash shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't met all cats."

"You know what I mean." Fatefiend said, rolling his eyes at her.

"Yes." Redsplash said, "Now stop talking. I don't want to wake up any sleepers."

"Oh, yes, I've seen these beasts. Every single one of them is in serious need of their beauty sleep." Fatefiend said fervently.

Redsplash grinned but didn't answer. She wasn't exactly happy about the situation she was in, but having Fatefiend there made it more bearable. After all, he was the closest thing she had to a friend. She wondered briefly why he had attempted to rescue her in the first place, and then decided she didn't want to know. They followed the wildcat down two staircases and through several halls, finally coming to a stop in a kitchen.

"This isn't exactly outside." Redsplash remarked dryly as she looked around, her nose wrinkling at the smell of burned flesh.

"We will starve if we don't take food with us." Darkclaw answered with exaggerated patience as he grabbed three packs off a shelf and began shoveling food into two of them.

"By the way," Fatefiend said as he stuck his head over Darkclaw's shoulder to see what the wildcat was putting in the packs, "I'm not a cannibal. I'll eat anything else if I have to, but I won't eat ferret."

Darkclaw turned, 'accidentally' slamming his elbow into Fatefiend's throat as he opened up another cupboard and began putting more food into the two packs. "Good. If we run out of food, we can eat the otter."

Fatefiend, clutching his throat, made a face of disgust, "I can't eat _Red_. She'd _poison_ me."

Redsplash rolled her eyes, "Darkclaw, don't put anything disgusting in my pack."

"Here." Darkclaw said and tossed the one of the packs to each other them. "No meat." He added when he saw Redsplash glanced doubtfully down at it.

He reached into an entirely different cupboard to fill the third pack and Redsplash, nose wrinkling once again, turned to look at Fatefiend who had just taken a huge bite of an apple he'd just dug out of his pack. "What's it taste like?" She asked quietly.

"Lahke abble." Fatefiend mumbled appreciatively through a mouthful of food.

"Really?" Redsplash said and glanced doubtfully down at the pack she was holding loosely in one paw. "Darkclaw, how did you grow apples this far north?"

"We didn't. We traded mouse meat for apples with a Warheart clan farther south." Darkclaw said as he finished filling his pack, which was considerably bigger then Redsplash and Fatefiend's. "Come." He ordered and started walking again.

"Are we heading towards the exit?" Fatefiend asked hopefully.

"Yes. Be quiet." Darkclaw said and doubled his pace so Redsplash and Fatefiend had to jog to keep up.

"Yes. Be quiet." Fatefiend mocked when he was a safe distance away.

Redsplash grinned but didn't reply as she slipped her dagger into her pack.

They didn't have to go far, but once they got there they had to wait ten minutes for Darkclaw to pick the lock. Redsplash or even Fatefiend could have picked the lock faster, but they didn't mention it. The wildcat opened the door, the only way out of the castle besides the drawbridge, apparently, and Redsplash stared across the landscape with wide eyes. It wasn't snowing, at least, but the color of the sky suggested that it might. There was no wind, thankfully, but it was cold enough that Redsplash's teeth chattered softly, the only noise that the three could hear.

"We have to get to the forest before daybreak." Darkclaw said, "Otherwise, you two will die from the cold. It will take them several hours to find that the three of us are gone, and they will wait two or three days before sending out a search party. Still, we have to move quickly."

"Not worried about you much, are they?" Fatefiend asked as he pulled at his warm cloak.

"No. They will just assume I've gone out to kill you two." Darkclaw said and started walking towards the vague suggestion of a forest on the horizon, apparently not caring if they followed him or not.

"Do we run now?" Fatefiend asked as he and Redsplash struggled hurriedly after the wildcat.

"No." Redsplash snapped, "We'll follow him until we get someplace warm."

"Oh, good." Fatefiend said, "Because I don't want you getting us lost."

Redsplash glared at him and quickened her pace, moving to walk between Darkclaw and Fatefiend in silence. She didn't bother worrying about what was happening around her, thinking about being cold only made it worse. She had grown adept over the years at thinking about something else during unpleasant conditions. For some reason, though, she could not think of anything that made her more comfortable. The only thing she could think about was the reflection in that fountain. The image of a smiling otter with flowers and a flute haunted her as she walked moodily after Darkclaw. She was not sure why it bothered her so much, but it did. She spent the several hours out in the cold brooding over why it bothered her, and coming up as clueless as she had been when the image first surfaced in her mind.

Finally, though, Darkclaw said it was time that they stopped traveling, for the night. Redsplash looked around in confusion and found that they were at least halfway into the forest. She shrugged, glad that they were done traveling but curious as to how she had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed the change in landscape. She slid to the ground and dropped her pack, leaning against a tree and watching Darkclaw start a fire.

"Won't they see the smoke?" she asked as her gaze flickered to Fatefiend who had settled down just out of reach of both Darkclaw and Redsplash.

"Yes." Darkclaw said, "but, like I said, they won't come after us for two or three days."

Fatefiend dug in his pack and came out with another apple. He bit into it, chewed, swallowed, and took another bite before saying, "So, why do you want us to help you get your sister out of the Nameless One's castle? You going to trade us in for her?"

"No. I don't want to be on your father's good side." Darkclaw said, "I want to cause as much havoc as I can."

Fatefiend glanced at Redsplash and shrugged, "I still don't see why you think we can help."

"We know the building, Fate." Redsplash said tiredly, "We know where the valiant little slaves willing to give their lives for a chance at getting back at their tormentors are. We know where the weapons are kept. And we know where his sister is most likely to be held."

Darkclaw did not argue, but he did not agree as he built up the fire. Redsplash moved closer to the fire, as did Fatefiend. Fatefiend waited, as if wondering when Darkclaw was going to say something, then looked quizzically at Redsplash, "Torture chamber or just the dungeons, do you think?"

"Huh?" Redsplash asked, preoccupied as she was with trying to steal an apple out of Fatefiend's pack, which he had dropped carelessly near her.

"Do you think his sister'll be in the torture chamber or the dungeons?" Fatefiend clarified as he pulled his pack away from her. He was, though, tragically too late to save the apple.

Redsplash took a huge bite out of the red apple, chewed, swallowed, and then shrugged, "I dunno. Depends on her attitude."

Darkclaw glanced up at them, a cold smirk on his face, "I'll place a bet on the torture chamber. She can annoy everyone."

"Listen to that, Red," Fatefiend said, obviously still annoyed about the apple theft. "Your soul mate."

"I think not." Redsplash said, throwing the apple core at his head.

Fatefiend ducked and it hit Darkclaw who had bent over the fire again. He straightened, and glared at Fatefiend, as the apple core had come from his direction. "Ferret, why did you just toss an apple at me?"

"Because he thinks meat eating is a sick and disgusting habit. He hopes to turn you into a vegetarian by pelting you with plants." Redsplash said helpfully from where she sat.

"Ferret." Darkclaw said warningly, glaring at Fatefiend.

"Uh, no, she's lying." Fatefiend said, glancing at Redsplash suspiciously, "_She_ threw that apple. I just ducked."

"Well don't duck again." Darkclaw snapped.

"Uh, all right." Fatefiend said agreeably.

Redsplash snickered and put the pack down next to the fire and then rested her head against it. She yawned and was asleep in an instant. Darkclaw moved several paces away and then, sending one last annoyed, superior, glare their way, went to sleep. Fatefiend, growling under his breath in annoyance, dug around in the pack he had brought with him on his way to rescue Redsplash. He took two blankets out, stood up, and dropped one where he had just been standing before going over to look down at Redsplash who looked almost angelic in slumber. He considered tying one end of the blanket to her tail and lighting the other end on fire, but then, sadly, dismissed the idea, as Darkclaw would undoubtedly get rather angry if he was awakened from his slumber by Redsplash screeching.

Fatefiend kneeled and carefully put the blanket around his friend then went back to where his two packs were. He made himself a pillow out of the two of them, pulled his own blanket up to his chin, and crawled close enough to the fire to singe his ears. He was stretching, about to go to sleep, when his paw came in contact with a smoldering rock. He grinned evilly and hurled it at Redsplash before closing his eyes and pretending to snore.

Redsplash's yelps of pain when the rock slammed into her neck and drew blood accompanied with Darkclaw's roars of annoyance seconds later lulled Fatefiend to sleep, a sinister grin on his face.


	5. Chapter Five

(This chapter's a bit shorter then all the other ones, mostly because I figured I fit in all I needed to fit in. Since this chapter is so short though, the next one'll be up earlier than usual. As to the reference of Redsplash being drunk in here…I wasn't really all that sure how an otter would act if they were half drunk so that's why she acts the way she does. 

Thanks for reviewing by the way. Really. If you hadn't reviewed I'd have killed this story several chapters ago.)

When Fatefiend woke he became aware that his head felt funny. This realization was accompanied by the sudden realization that his feet hurt. His eyes snapped open and then shut, because, for some reason he could not quite comprehend, he was upside down. "Help." He said, his tone making it sounding more like a yelp then an actual word. 

            "He's awake." Came a growl, "Cut him down."

            "Aw, but that's no fun." Came a voice he recognized. Oh, yes, now he remembered. Redsplash and the wildcat, Darkclaw. The failed rescue attempt. But that still did not answer why he was hanging upside down and why Redsplash did not want him to be placed right side up again. "Let's make him chew through the ropes."

            "I do not want to listen to his whimpering. Get him down before you kill him." Darkclaw snapped.

            "Fine, fine." Came Redsplash voice and Fatefiend heard a rustling noise followed by a hiss and suddenly he fell to the ground, nearly breaking his neck in the process.

            "Ow." He said and opened his eyes and looked around. He had, apparently, been hanging upside down from a tree. Redsplash, perched up on one of the higher branches, smirked down at him, a dagger in her left paw.

            Fatefiend looked down at the ropes tied around his foot paws and quickly untied the knot, sending Redsplash hurt and angry glances whenever he could. "What was that whole mess for?" he demanded.

            "Revenge." Redsplash said, "And your snoring woke Darkclaw up. It was his idea to hang you upside down, I was just the one in the background cheering him on." 

            "Damn you." Fatefiend said, glaring up at her as she climbed down the tree as easily as a squirrel would. "I just threw a rock at you, and you deserved it."

            Redsplash laughed and landed gracefully on the ground, "Darkclaw," she called, ignoring Fatefiend, "Is the food ready yet?"

            Darkclaw was sitting next to a new fire, cooking something that smelled good. It was probably the smell that had woken Fatefiend up in the first place. The wildcat ignored Redsplash, and Fatefiend massaged his feet, trying to get the blood flowing right again, still sending as many glares in Redsplash's direction as he could. 

            Redsplash danced happily over to the pot that was cooking on the fire, "Is it ready yet, Darkclaw?" she asked, leaning closer and closer to the fire.

            "I wouldn't get that close." Darkclaw said.

            "Why not?" Redsplash said, looking up at him and stopping.

            Darkclaw's wrist twitched and a spoonful of the boiling stew in the pot flew up, missing Redsplash's head by half an inch. "Because next time I won't miss." He said evenly and went back to cooking.

            "Fine, fine." Redsplash said, rolling her eyes, and went to sit against a tree, frowning at the two of them. "You two are obviously not made for mornings."

            "You weren't either." Fatefiend snapped, "Before." He added.

            "Before I didn't have a reason to wake up." Redsplash reminded him.

            "Too bad." Fatefiend muttered and tried to stand, leaning against the tree that he had been hanging from to steady himself.

            Redsplash glanced at him, as if wondering what he meant by that, and then turned her attention on Darkclaw, "So…" she said sounding considerably less energetic, "We have to cross an ocean?"

            "Yes." Darkclaw said shortly and glanced up at her, catching the slight note of apprehension on her voice, "Afraid of running into your own species?"

            "No." Redsplash said, shaking her head quickly. _Crossing an ocean…this isn't going to be fun…_ She kicked at the ground in annoyance.

            "Food's ready." Darkclaw said after a while, filled up a bowl for himself and two considerably smaller bowls for the other two.

            The three ate in silence and when Darkclaw stood up, shouldering his pack, the other two finished their meals, and picked up their own packs. Redsplash handed the bowl to Darkclaw, and Fatefiend tossed it carelessly. Darkclaw caught Fatefiend's bowl in Redsplash's and then put the bowls in his pack. "Leave the fire." He said as he saw Redsplash glance doubtfully at it, "It'll burn itself out." He started walking away, not pausing to look back.

            Fatefiend shrugged and hurried after the wildcat, while Redsplash stayed to look at the fire for a minute. _Never leave a fire going, Bright. If anything catches fire, some may die because of your carelessness._ Redsplash remembered clearly who had told her that and, disgust and contempt clouding her features, she paused only one more second, to spit in the fire, before stalking after the two others.

            "Red!" Fatefiend shouted, "Get back here before you kill yourself!"

            "I think that's the intent." Darkclaw muttered as the two of them stared up at Redsplash. She was climbing up a tree with a speed that was almost unnatural for an otter. Even if Redsplash had been born a squirrel it would have been unsettling.

            "I fly!" Redsplash yelled and suddenly propelled herself backwards, away from the trunk. However, she caught onto the last branch before the ground, held on for a second or two, then let go and plummeted the small distance left to the ground.

            "I'm gonna _kill_ you." Fatefiend snapped, stalking over and kicking her in the ribs, "You're going to kill yourself."

            "All in the plot, stupid, all in the plot." Redsplash said.

            "What plot?" Darkclaw said, looking over.

            "Have you both forgotten?" Redsplash demanded, looking at them as if _they_ were the raving lunatics that had just jumped out of a tree.

            "Yes, that is absolutely the last time you have that for breakfast, ever again." Fatefiend snapped.

            Redsplash glared at him, "Try and stop me."

            "Fine." Fatefiend said and sprinted towards the pack of food Redsplash had left on the ground, picked it up without slowing down, and began running away as fast as he could.

            "Hey!" Redsplash yelled, jumping up. "That's _mine_."

            "I think he knows that." Darkclaw said sarcastically.

            Redsplash paused only a second to stick her tongue out at him then chased after Fatefiend, screaming threats. While the two of them were gone Darkclaw suddenly whirled around and sprinted into the trees. Once he deemed himself a safe distance away he pulled a scroll out of his pack and let out a loud, piercing, whistle. He glanced around, his eyes taking in every single movement around him, an expression of slightly tense annoyance on his expression.

            Suddenly a hawk landed on the limb of a tree near the wildcat and stared at him, head tilting to the left. "Warheart Prince, your companions tried to shoot me down."

            "The otter is half drunk and the ferret has no skill with a bow." Darkclaw said, his tone reassuring but still annoyed, "There was no real threat."

            The large male hawk blinked and stretched his wings slightly, "The ferret hides his skills from you."

            "I doubt it." Darkclaw said, "He isn't smart at all."

            A sparkle of brief amusement shined in the hawk's eyes for a minute as he said, "Ah, Warheart Prince, you had finally been out manipulated."

            Darkclaw shook his head, denying the accusation, "Of all creatures, Darkwing I would think you would know that there are few creatures that can out manipulate me and no mere ferret will ever be counted among those few."

            The hawk shifted his balance, "The ferret is the Nameless One's son, Prince. He has learned much from his father and more from the otter. You have potentially strong enemies in those two. I would not betray them."

            Darkclaw frowned at him, "Have I not explained to you the plan in small enough words so that you can understand? Without betrayal the Nameless One will not be slain."

            The hawk's eyes grew distant, "Ah, you really are your father's son, Darkclaw. Always willing to sell out your friends in the end."

            Darkclaw blinked, "Darkwing, I have no friends."

            "Of course." The hawk said, giving himself a small shake as if to wake himself up, "Now, why did you call me?" 

            "I need you to carry this scroll to Ijuiline. Do not waste time."

            The hawk nodded, "I never waste time."

            Darkclaw blinked but did not contradict him, "Be back before five days. I'll need you to carry another scroll to Pravin."

            "Five days?" The hawk said, looking surprised, then, slowly, nodded. "Yes…I will meet up with you in five days or less. Where will you be?"

            "Next to the sea. Near Wello's group of sailors. You will have to next meet me somewhere near the Nameless One's domain, if you can survive a trip over the sea?"

            "I'll take the slower route." The hawk said, "Pravin lives out that way anyway."

            Darkclaw smirked, "Of course."

            "Give me the scroll." The hawk said. Darkclaw held the scroll out and the hawk grabbed the loop attached to the scroll and made sure had had a good grip. He gave Darkclaw a deep nod, and was gone. 

            "Darkclaw!" Fatefiend shouted seconds later from somewhere nearby, "Red passed out!" 

            When the sun went down that day the only noise at the campfire was Redsplash's curses of annoyance as she held her head. "Darkclaw that is absolutely the last time I eat your food. Fatefiend, you are the cook from now on." 

            "Okay." Fatefiend said brightly, while glancing at Darkclaw with an expression that was equally as bright, and as blank, as his tone.

            "Go to sleep." The wildcat said, "I'll stand watch tonight."

            "The whole night?" Fatefiend asked calmly.

            "I can go a few days without sleep, ferret." Darkclaw said, as if the thought of him needing sleep was a joke. 

            "Oh." Fatefiend said as he began making his bed as far away from Redsplash's as he could. This could either mean that if Darkclaw tried to kill him in the middle of the night he wanted to be as far away from Redsplash a possible, or it could just be that he wanted to avoid listening to her complaining. 

            As the night went on, Redsplash, then Fatefiend, fell to slumber that was not at all peaceful. Fatefiend dreamed of the death his father would likely have planned for him, and Redsplash's nightmares centered around what they always did: her past. Darkclaw, as promised, did not sleep, but instead sat calmly next to the fire, planning.

            "Come on Dark," Redsplash whined, "I don't wanna walk no more."

            "I never gave you permission to shorten my name." Darkclaw said, deliberately walking faster so that Redsplash had to jog to keep up. Fatefiend, who was walking slowly behind them, did not bother speeding up. This landscape they had been walking on for hour seemed to be somewhere between sand, shore, and rock. There was almost no way the two others could go fast enough that they would loose him.

            "I'm trying to annoy you into getting what I want." Redsplash said and lunged at the ground, attaching herself to Darkclaw's ankle and not letting go despite Darkclaw's efforts to shake her off. "Come on. Please?"

            "Don't make me kill you otter." Darkclaw said, hopping around on one foot trying to knock her loose.

            "I'm sorry, am I interrupting some sort of ritual?" Fatefiend said as he walked up, "In which Redsplash plays the offending leach and Darkclaw the poor duck victim?"

            The two of the stopped what they were doing and sent offended glares at the ferret, "Fate go away. I'm trying to get Darkclaw to carry me around for a couple hours." Redsplash snapped.

            "Lost cause, Red." Fatefiend said, "By the way, we appear to be being followed by this odd assortment of filthy looking rats."

            "What?" Darkclaw said, turning and accidentally slamming Redsplash's head against a bolder.

            "Ow." Redsplash said, letting go of Darkclaw's ankle to rub her head. She squinted into the glare of the sun, trying to find the rats, "I don't see them."

            "Watch that huge rock over there. In a few seconds one of 'em will pop their heads out. See. There's one."

            "Oh, I see it." Redsplash said and stood, "I'll bet you I kill more then you." She said to the ferret.

            Fatefiend rolled his eyes, "I was thinking maybe we could just run away."

            "No. They've seen us and now we have to get rid of them. If they tell my brother where we are he'll know we've gone to the Nameless One and warn the ferret before we have a chance to kill him."

            "Fatefiend, was that lunatic wildcat speech for 'Let's go kill something'?" Redsplash asked, rolling her eyes at Darkclaw.

            "I don't know. Why don't you go find a lunatic wildcat and ask him?" Fatefiend said, annoyed.

            Redsplash rolled her eyes, "So, how do we kill 'em?"

            "We leave the weakest looking member of our group here with all the food and the other two go circle around behind them."

            Fatefiend nodded, "Right. I'll stay here."

            Darkclaw glanced at him and smirked. "Redsplash, go to the left."

            Redsplash glared at him, "Just because you're so smart doesn't mean you have to keep rubbing it in my face."

            Darkclaw rolled his eyes, "What now?"

            "Which way's left?" Redsplash demanded.

            "Red, you know left and right." Fatefiend said tiredly, "Just go."

            Redsplash scowled and stalked off, only pausing to grab the dagger that Fatefiend had given her before. Darkclaw walked in the opposite direction, apparently calm and oblivious to anything and everything. 

            It was barely five minutes later that the group of ten rats surrounded Fatefiend who was happily drawing in the dirt with and arrow. He glanced up ate the rats as one of the poked him with a spear and smiled, "Hello." He said. "And what would bring you to poke me with a spear on this fine bright morning?"

            "It's evening." Grunted one of them, "And we want your food."

            "Well." Fatefiend said, scanning the horizon, "So it is. But you can't have my food."

            "We didn't ask for it." Said one of the rats, plucking one of the packs off the ground, "We're takin' it."

            Fatefiend blinked, "I believe you've been misinformed." He said.

            "Huh?"

            "I'm sorry. I used a big word." Fatefiend said with a winning smile. He raised his voice and shouted, "I believe you're stupid!" at the top of his lungs. Before the big rat could reply Fatefiend pulled the bow he had hidden in the grass up and shot the arrow he had been holding straight into the rat's eye. He fell without having time for the insult to process in his rather slow mind. 

            Before the other rats could react Darkclaw suddenly popped out of nowhere, with only own of his broadswords unsheathed. Redsplash was a bit late, but when she did show up she killed as many, or more, of the rats as Darkclaw. When they were all dead Redsplash 'accidentally' clubbed Fatefiend in the back of the head with one of the rat's decapitated heads. 

            After that Fatefiend refused to talk to her, and Darkclaw ignored them both. They walked the rest of the day in silence and when they finally decided to make camp, an hour or so after the sun had set, Darkclaw left the two of them to talk to a friend that was supposedly near by.

            "What I wanna know is why, if he has a friend here, we're sleeping in sand." Fatefiend muttered rebelliously as he tried to find a comfortable position.

            Redsplash who was considerably more comfortable then Fatefiend glanced at him, "You should probably take your pack off before you try and go to sleep." She said.

            "No." Fatefiend said, "You'll steal my food."

            Redsplash rolled her eyes and yawned, staring up at the stars. "I wonder who this friend of his is." She said.

            "Probably someone with a boat." Fatefiend snapped and closed his eyes, "Now stop talking so I can sleep."

            Redsplash sighed and closed her eyes, yawning again before drifting off to sleep.

            Darkclaw sat on the sand just out of reach of the waves, waiting. His broadswords were far out of reach, along with the dagger he normally carried. The only weapon he had was a very carefully hidden dagger that he could not reach quickly. It was a gamble, a very dangerous gamble, but it would be worth it to know if Darkwing was loyal or not. He had first met the hawk when he had been several seasons younger and hunting the hawk's mate, Sorrowsong. Darkclaw had had no real reason to hunt the albino female hawk called Sorrowsong, but it had been a contest between him and his three brothers. In the end, it had cost Grenail, his youngest brother, his life. Sorrowsong, known as Sorrow, had killed the wildcat when the smallest of the three cats hunting her had injured the hawk's wing. Bluefang, the coward that he was, had immediately retreated back to the castle and declared the contest below his notice. Darkclaw, slightly angered at the loss of his second favorite brother, had continued hunting while Lian, Grenail's older twin brother, had been livid. 

            When he and Darkclaw, still hunting the white hawk, stumbled across each other in the forest Lian had been nearly insane with anger, and nearly dead from fatigue. Darkclaw had easily drugged his brother with an herb that would send his favorite brother into a sleep that would last as long as it took for him to heal and then left his brother behind. Darkclaw never saw Lian again.

Darkclaw had finally found Sorrowsong, wounded and unable to fly, huddled into a cave and so close to dead that she couldn't even see him. Before Darkclaw could kill the bird, however, Darkwing had arrived and, furious at the attempted murder of his mate, had tried to kill Darkclaw. It was sad, really. The hawk had never stood a chance. In the cave he could barely move, and couldn't dodge Darkclaw's swords. 

            Still, Darkclaw hadn't been sent to kill the black hawk, just the albino one. Before he could kill Sorrowsong Darkwing managed to drag himself in front of his mate and proclaim with what voice he had left that he would die before he allowed Darkclaw to kill his mate. Darkclaw had considered killing them both, then struck a deal with Darkwing. If the hawk, once it was healed, would carry messages from Darkclaw to ones he needed messages sent to he would allow the hawks to live. The only other rule was that Darkwing could never try to get revenge on any member of Darkclaw's family except Bluefang. The hawk had taken the deal and Darkclaw had left, not expecting the hawk to live. But he had and for seasons now the hawk had been carrying his messages, but Darkclaw had always doubted that Darkwing would remain loyal if Darkclaw was weaponless.

            That was why it was such a shock when his two broadswords, sheathed, landed on his stomach. Darkwing himself arrived on the ground shortly after Darkclaw realized what it was exactly that had just landed on him. "You leave your swords out where anyone can take them." Darkwing said with obvious contempt, "And you sit weaponless where anyone can kill you. Have you gone mad?"

            Darkclaw rolled his eyes, "Since when did you care about my well-being?"

            Darkwing refused to answer but instead tossed another object at him. Darkclaw caught it and stared at it for a minute. "It's Ijuiline's answer." The hawk clarified, "To whatever letter you wrote her."

            "Ah." Darkclaw said, "And here is the message for Pravin." He put Ijuiline's answer down on the sand next to him and handed his message to Pravin to Darkwing.

            Darkwing accepted the letter in silence and then looked out over the sea, "Who is the next letter to?"

            Darkclaw glanced at him, "Why should I give you an answer to any question you ask?"

            "Because I did not kill you when I could have."

            "Which will undoubtedly end up as a mistake on your part."

            "Undoubtedly." Darkwing agreed, "But I wished to inform you that there is an otter down in the east asking about a Brighteye Swiftstream."

            "Who?" Darkclaw asked, raising an eyebrow.

            "Brighteye Swiftstream. I believe that is the other name of the otter that travels with you."

            "Oh, yes." Darkclaw said and turned to look at him, "And what is the name of this otter that is asking about her?"

            "No one knows. Some call him the Ghost, and others call him the Slayer but no one knows who he really is." Darkwing said, "Though it is know that he lead a rebellion of ten otters, twenty squirrels, and thirty or so various other rabble against a large number of the Nameless One's soldiers."

            "Did he win?" Darkclaw asked.

            "No, but out of the five score that went into the battle against him, two survived."

            "Two?" Darkclaw said, surprised, "Out of one hundred of the Nameless One's soldiers two of them survived a battle of sixty untrained-"

            "They were trained." Darkwing broke in, "By the otter. He trained them. I believe he was the only one who survived the battle on his side. The two Nameless One soldiers only managed to subdue him by throwing rocks at him until he was knocked unconscious."

            "He didn't dodge the rocks?" 

            "He was trapped under the bodies." Darkwing paused, "He escaped by tripping the two soldiers and causing them to burn to death in the small campfire they had created."

            "Oh." Darkclaw said, "Deliver this to Pravin and find out who this otter is. Have information about the otter and Pravin's answer by the time our little venture over the sea is done with. I'll be waiting for you on the shore. Wello's rats will have a gigantic fire the day they arrive on land. You'll be able to see it."

            Darkwing nodded his head, "Of course." He replied and was gone, leaving Darkclaw to stand and brush sand off of himself before picking up Ijuiline's reply and putting it in his pack. He started walking away from Redsplash and Fatefiend, looking for the rat captain Wello who would get him, Redsplash, and Fatefiend over the sea and into the Nameless One's domain. 


	6. Chapter Six

(Well, I put this chapter up like two weeks after I meant to (sorry, couldn't find a way to finish this chapter and couldn't find the time), but it is longer then normal which makes up for the fact that the last chapter was short. Considering that my life seems determined to keep me away from my computer, the next chapter might take a while to get up. At the most three weeks…I think. I know most of you wanted me to get the next chapter up faster. I'll try. Thanks for reviewing and sorry about the time it takes me to get the chapters up.) 

Redsplash first thought when she woke was, _Hmm…I appear to be being dragged. I think I'll go back to sleep. Her next was considerably less innocent as someone tossed salt water in her face._

            Coughing and sputtering she rolled over onto the stomach and glared up at the solemn looking rat that had tossed the water in her face. Fatefiend laughed and Darkclaw smirked, both of them standing behind the rat. "Wake up." The rat said emotionlessly and walked away.

            Redsplash stood up and glared at the two of them, "I hate you both." She snapped and turned away, looking around. The sea confronted her on one side, sand on all the others. As she saw the sea her expression changed to one curiously like someone seeing something that made their stomach heave.

            "Oh." She said, "The sea."       

            "Yes, we have to sail." Darkclaw said, "Wello and his crew have graciously decided to transport us to the other side of the ocean."

            "Who's Wello?" Redsplash demanded, turning back to him. "And what does he get in return for transporting us?"

            "Wello is the rat you just saw, and he gets a pardon for his crimes against the Warheart clan. Or at least he thinks he does."

            Redsplash nodded slowly, "And where is the ship?" she asked.

            "Down along the shore that way." Darkclaw said, pointing. "Go down there and wait."

            "All right." Redsplash said agreeably and walked off quickly, shoving Fatefiend forward when he turned, as if to say something to either her or Darkclaw.

            "What was that for?" Fatefiend demanded.

            "We have to leave now." Redsplash said.

            "What?" he asked, confused.

            "We abandon Darkclaw here." Redsplash said, "Now. Today."

            "Why?" Fatefiend asked, surprised. "I thought you said you wanted to get somewhere warmer before we left."

            "I lied." She hissed, "We have to leave now. If Darkclaw loses control of those rats and they attack us, who is going to run the ship after we kill them? You?"

            "Oh…right…" Fatefiend said, "I guess I see…"

            "Good." Redsplash said, grabbing his elbow, "Come on, if we turn around now and go around him we might be able to get away."

            "All right…" Fatefiend said, looking slightly dazed at the sudden change of plans.

            The two of them went as quickly as they could across the sandy shore, managing to get around Darkclaw without much trouble. Redsplash was just about to suggest they slowed to a jog when suddenly she was being held suspended in the air. Judging by the odd squeaking noise next to her, she guessed Fatefiend had, too, been picked up.

            "You must have misunderstood me." Darkclaw rumbled, "I said the boat was _that way." And with that he threw them quite a distance in the direction of the boat. Redsplash landed on her back, wincing, and Fatefiend, by some miracle, managed to land on all fours and did not get the air knocked out of him as Redsplash did._

            "Oh, _that way." Fatefiend said, stood, and sprinted in the direction on the boat._

            "Coward." Redsplash wheezed as she sat up.

Darkclaw walked up and pointed in the direction of the boat. "Go." He said.

"Give me a minute, I'm tryin' to catch my breath. You go on without me. I'll catch up." She said, still trying to breathe right.

Darkclaw sighed, reached down, picked her up by her neck, and began walking. "So we're back to this again." He said.

Redsplash kicked him in the ribs and tried to keep from screaming in frustration. "I don't like you." She hissed.

"You hate me." he corrected mildly.

She glared at him and tried to spit in his face, but choked and nearly killed herself. She decided to hold back on the spitting and kicked him again. He ignored her and kept walking until he was standing right in front of a rather impressive ship. He tossed her on the ground and gestured at the boat, "Get on." he commanded.

"I don't wanna." Redsplash said but waded into the water, looking as if she were about to throw a temper tantrum. 

"Go!" he ordered.

"Fine!" Redsplash shouted back and dove into the water, swimming gracefully up to the side of the boat. "Hey! Idiots up there!" she shouted and slammed her paws against the side of the boat, "Get me up!"

One of the crew, a stoat, tossed down a rope and Redsplash caught it. The stoat stared expectantly down at her and she stared expectantly up at him. It became obvious that Redsplash expected him to pull her up, and that the stoat thought she would climb. 

"Aren't you comin' up?" demanded the stoat.

"I would," Redsplash said, her voice tight with annoyance, "If you would pull me up."

"You're supposed to climb." He said doubtfully.

Suddenly a screaming mass of fur went flying over the water, "Red! Red! He's trying to ki-" the hysterical shrieks were cut off as Fatefiend sunk below the water, probably still shouting.

"Can he swim?" asked the stoat dumbly.

Redsplash rolled her eyes, and slipped back under the water. She pulled Fatefiend to the surface and punched him in the stomach, either because he annoyed her or to get the water out either one, and then gripped the rope with one paw. "Pull us up!" she shouted, "I can't climb for both of us!"

It took five of the crew to pull them up, with Redsplash complaining and Fatefiend muttering darkly about Darkclaw the whole time. Darkclaw had, apparently, thrown him into the water when he had discovered Fatefiend trying to dig a hole to hide in. When they reached their destination Redsplash tossed Fatefiend unceremoniously onto the wooden deck and pulled herself up with her arms, ignoring the offers of help.

"Do me a favor and cut the rope when the wildcat is trying to climb it." She told a nearby ferret who ignored her. It wouldn't have matter if he had tried anyway because Darkclaw, who had been in the ocean when Redsplash had first reached the deck, was now already most of the way up the rope. There would have been no time for the thought to process in the ferrets mind and for him to carry out the order.

Darkclaw reached the deck about the same time Fatefiend decided it was safe to stand up. "I hate boats." The ferret said, "I took the stream route last time. I took a raft then." He seemed to be mourning the raft.

"Sea is faster." Darkclaw remarked, "Or I wouldn't be near it."

"What, do you get seasick?" Fatefiend asked.

"No." Darkclaw said, turned, and walked to the rat named Wello, who was bellowing orders at the top of his lungs.

Redsplash looked around and sighed, "Ah, the good old sea air." She said in a mockingly admiring voice, "Makes me sick." She added, her tone changing to one of contempt and disgust.

"Why don't you like the sea, Red?" Fatefiend asked, blinking.

Redsplash ignored his question, "I hope we don't run out of water." She remarked, "Because if we do and I have to drink someone's blood…" she stopped talking loud enough for Fatefiend to hear, muttering vehemently under her breath and Fatefiend inched away, wondering what was wrong with her.

Suddenly Wello bellowed something and all of the crew was in motion, moving about the ship in ways Redsplash did not even want to try to follow. Apparently they were setting sail. How lovely. "Red," Fatefiend said, "I think I might get sea sick."

"This close to the shore?" Redsplash asked, annoyed, "Then I hope we never hit any waves bigger then you are tall."

"They get that big?" Fatefiend asked, shocked.

"Bigger," Said a passing ferret, "Then this ship."

"Ferret, you look unhealthily green." Darkclaw observed in amusement as he strolled over to them.

Fatefiend swallowed and glared defiantly up at Darkclaw, "And you look unnaturally ugly." He responded.

"Don't make me toss you overboard." He said, though his voice held more amusement then Redsplash had ever heard. "It would be a very annoying way to die. Drowning." He walked away easily as the ship started moving. 

"Drowning can't be all that bad." Fatefiend said and glanced suspiciously at Redsplash, "Can it?"

"I dunno, you came closer to drowning then I ever have a few moments ago. Why don't you ask yourself?" she walked to the very center of the deck and stood there, trying to annoy a nagging feeling that something was wrong. Of course something was wrong. She was sailing _back to the Nameless One._

The ship had been in motion for around fifteen minutes when Fatefiend surrendered his stomach's contents into the sea. Another ferret laughed so hard that he nearly fell into the ocean as he watched Fatefiend grip the rail as if it were the only thing keeping him alive.

Fatefiend glanced at the other ferret, "You have no idea," he said, his voice rough from the vomiting, "How acutely depressing it to realize that we are from the same species." And then he hastily leaned over the rail again, submitting what was left of his breakfast to the waves.

"I wonder how long it will take for him to get over his seasickness." Darkclaw rumbled from behind Redsplash, "I'm betting half the voyage."

Redsplash glared at him, "Do not take bets on how long it will take for Fate to get over his sickness." She snapped.

"Why not?" Darkclaw asked, amused.

Redsplash scowled and looked away, not answering him. Suddenly a horrible smell reached her nostrils, "What is that _smell?" she demanded._

"Lunch." Darkclaw answered, deliberately raising his voice so that Fatefiend could hear, "Fish eyes and squid." Darkclaw's grain widened at the sound of Fatefiend renewing his tribute to the sea, surprising everyone who had thought his stomach _must_ have been empty by now. 

Suddenly Darkclaw noticed something, "Why, Redsplash, you look slightly green." He said. "Are you seasick?"

"Otters never get seasick." Shouted Wello, though he was standing barely two paces away.

"I think they do." Darkclaw said, staring closely at Redsplash.

"I'll bet you they don't." Wello replied. 

"I'll take that bet." Redsplash said, her voice choked, and then rushed to the side and spewed her breakfast into the ocean along side Fatefiend until there was nothing left. Right about then they entered the really deep water and though Fatefiend, laying flat on the deck and breathing heavily, seemed to be getting better Redsplash kept getting worse until, finally she passed out. The last thing she saw before she fainted was Darkclaw laughing himself sick a few paces away.

"Red, Red, are you alive?" asked Fatefiend as he shook her. 

"Uh," Redsplash said, not exactly sure, and opened one eye. "What do ya want?" she demanded, trying to lift her head off the pillow and failing. She had not been this sick before in her life; the fact that she had only been sick one or twice in her life did not matter to her at all.

"I brought you lunch." Fatefiend said and rummaged around in his pack and brought out what looked like a pear. He glanced doubtfully down at it, "I was going to bring you down some of that stew but I ate it."

Redsplash stared blearily up at him, "I wouldn't expect anything else." She said, grabbed the pear and took a bite out of it. Only then did it occur to her to look around. She was in some sort of little room with four bunks jammed into it somehow. She was on the bottom of the one on the left and, it being the only way he could talk to her without being right next to her, Fatefiend was sitting on the bunk across from her.

"You've been asleep for a day, by the way." Fatefiend said, "The crew wanted to toss you overboard because you kept waking them up, what with your screaming, and-"

Redsplash sat up then immediately regretted it and lay back flat again and turned her head towards Fatefiend, "I was screaming?" she demanded.

"Yes, but mostly it was death threats." He tilted his head to the left, "Once you were screaming about someone named Laflen, but I don't know who-"

"Damn." Redsplash said, covering her eyes with her hands, "I hate this."

"Anyway, as I was saying," Fatefiend said after a moment of silence, "The crew wanted to toss you overboard and Darkclaw and Wello got into this huge argument and, uh, Darkclaw tossed Wello off the boat. He died."

Redsplash laughed, though it sounded more like someone choking, "I bet he did." She said, "He didn't look like a swimmer."

"Well, he wasn't but there was also this huge fish that ate him. You missed that too, Red." Fatefiend said, "The fish was _huge." _

"I've seen huge fish before." Redsplash said, wincing at both the memory of the pike that nearly ate her alive and the sudden jerk of the ship that followed Fatefiend's words. "I don't need to see them again."

"All right…" Fatefiend said, "Well, I've got to get back up there. Ever since Wello died and Eade took over they've needed Darkclaw to shout the orders, because Eade can't scream at all, and I have to cook because Eade used to be the cook. I'll bring you down something else after dinner." 

Redsplash would have answered if he hadn't already been gone. Instead she thought about what he had just said, "Eade? Wello? What kind of names are those?" she shook her head, "This little boat trip couldn't get any worse."

That's when some rat on the deck started up a song and the rest of the vermin joined in. Redsplash groaned, wincing at every note. She stared weakly at the wide open door that was just out of reach. To get to it she would have to stand up. "This is hell. I've reached hell." She observed in shock, looking around. 

She sat up and rolled out of the small bed, slamming against the wooden floor and shutting the door as hard as she could. She could still hear the song, but the wooden door and walls filtered out most of it. She pulled herself back up onto her bed and curled into a ball, muttering vehemently under her breath about how she would kill the singers as soon as she could stand up. 

"How's the otter?" Darkclaw asked as Fatefiend came strolling up, momentarily done with his kitchen duties. It surprised Darkclaw how quickly Fatefiend had gotten over his seasickness almost as much as it surprised him how bad Redsplash's case of the sickness was. 

"I think she's gettin' better." He said, "She's awake at least."

Darkclaw laughed, "And did you tell her about the screaming?"

"Of course." Fatefiend said with an evil grin that faded quickly, "But I don't think it worked like you said it would."

"Oh, really? How did it work then?"

"I think it just made her sicker."

Darkclaw blinked and his expression went suddenly thoughtful, "I wonder why…" he said and looked at Fatefiend, "Do you know how she was enslaved by the Nameless One?"

"No, I was raised over on the Nameless One's island, Dethrian, and was only brought over two seasons after he had gotten his little castle in these lands, by then Redsplash was already enslaved. She might have been in one of the few slaves he brought around the land with him, or she might have been in the castle, or she might have been in the hundreds they found nearby." He shrugged, "And she won't tell me."

Darkclaw's eyes narrowed in thought and he walked away, leaving Fatefiend to go back to his kitchen.

"I'm alive." Redsplash said fifteen minutes later as she staggered out onto the deck, urged to pull herself up to here by the smell of food. Vermin were scattered around the ship, eating and insulting each other, while Darkclaw and Fatefiend sat across from eat other without talking. They all ignored her, as she hadn't spoken loud enough for them to hear her. Annoyed she cleared her throat and bellowed, "I'm _alive_!"

All of them turned to look at her and Redsplash pointed at Fatefiend, "You," she said accusingly, "Didn't bring me more food."

"I didn't think you'd want it." Fatefiend said defensively.

"Well there's the problem." Redsplash said clearly, "Who told you to think?"

Fatefiend scowled, "I'll get you some food, Red." He muttered, stood up, and trotted away.

Redsplash watched him go with narrowed eyes then turned back to the rest of the vermin, "And why are you all staring at me? Eat!" 

Darkclaw rolled his eyes and stood slowly, "Redsplash, we've found a cabin where you might be about to heal faster, the only thing you have to do in order to take over the best cabin on the ship is not come out to the voyage is over with." He said.

"What? What did I do?" Redsplash demanded irritably.

"You kept the crew awake. They couldn't sleep." Darkclaw said, "And they're nervous about having an otter onboard that's not in chains."

Redsplash turned to glare at the vermin who were eating. Those few that did notice her glares merely glared back in return. Redsplash turned her gaze back to Darkclaw, "So, I trade my freedom for my health?" she demanded rebelliously.

"Think about it this way, Red." Fatefiend said, handing her a bowl of stew as he arrived. "You won't have to see any of us until we land."

Redsplash's expression brightened a bit and then went thoughtful. "All right…" she said after a few seconds thought, "But before I go, I want to look around this ship."

"Anywhere but the lower decks." Fatefiend said immediately.

"Why not them?" Redsplash asked suspiciously.

"It's an oar ship Redsplash." Darkclaw said as if there was some connection she should have made by now.

"So…you don't want me to get killed by the evil oars?" Redsplash said, obviously not understanding.

"What Darkclaw is trying to say," Fatefiend said with an annoyed glance at the wildcat, "Is that there are slaves on this ship."

The silence was tense as Redsplash stared at them blankly then blinked. "So?" she asked after a minute.

"So?" Fatefiend said, "So?!"

Darkclaw's expression darkened, "You're not the least bit worried about the poor little slaves, are you?"

"Is it my fault they're down there? Is it my fault that they're not smart or strong enough to get free of these stupid rats?" Redsplash replied, defensive, "It's not my fault so it's not my problem." 

"Stupid rats?" demanded a large, tattooed, rat as he stalked over, sword drawn. Obviously he had heard the insult and had decided to stick up for all rat kind.

Redsplash carefully put her bowl down, whirled, and charged at the rat, ducking the rat's panicked sword thrust, and slamming straight into his stomach, knocking the air out of him. He fell back onto the wooden deck and Redsplash stared contemptuously down at him before kicking him off the ship.

"Stupid rats!" she yelled at him as he slipped into the ocean with a splash. She stalked back over to Fatefiend and Darkclaw, picked up her bowl of stew, and demanded to be shown the cabin before she killed anything else and go sick again doing it. Darkclaw quietly showed the otter the cabin, which had once belonged to Wello, and shut the door behind her, locking it from the outside. He turned back around and rejoined Fatefiend who was sitting on the now vacated deck.

"You would think she would show more compassion to slaves." Darkclaw observed, looking out at the sea, "Considering she was one."

"I thought so too, at first, but I forgot who Redsplash was."

"And who exactly is that?"

"Redsplash." Fatefiend said and then, seeing the look Darkclaw shot him, clarified, "I don't think she understands what compassion is. If she does something it helps her or her friends. She gets loyalty, but not compassion."

"And who, exactly, are her friends?"

"Well, I'm the only one _I_ know of, but there might be more." Fatefiend said slowly.

"She doesn't treat you like you're her friend."

Fatefiend laughed, "If I wasn't her friend she would have killed me a very long time ago."

Darkclaw looked down at the ferret, "Otters aren't supposed to be so fond of killing. They're supposed to avoid it wherever possible."

Fatefiend shrugged, "Wildcats aren't supposed to believe in peace and refuse to fight."

"Yes. Well. I'm not sure my sister is entirely a wildcat." Darkclaw snapped, annoyed.

Fatefiend laughed then narrowed his eyes, "I wonder why Redsplash hasn't tried to kill you yet." He said seriously.

"She couldn't." Darkclaw answered.

"That's never stopped her before." Fatefiend said, "She's a fighter."

"With the heart of a toad." Darkclaw replied.

"No." Fatefiend said, "Closer to the heart of a badger."

"Badgers have _honor_." Darkclaw pointed out, scowling.

Fatefiend stood, offended and annoyed. "Very well then," he said icily, "She has the heart of a wildcat." He turned and walked off before Darkclaw could think of a reply.

Redsplash had explored the small cabin and found it sadly lacking of anything interesting. She wanted to leave the door open, as it stunk of rat, but knew the door would be locked. She was sitting with her back against the wall on the bed when she heard the lock click. She turned to look at the door and was surprised when Fatefiend opened the door and stuck his head in before motioning to her to come out, silently.

Redsplash rose without a sound and slipped out of the cabin. Fatefiend closed and locked the door, "I wanted to see what the wildcat has in the other main cabin." He said, "But I couldn't pick the lock."

"Amateur." Redsplash said scornfully. "Show me the lock and I can get it open."

"Unless it's on the other side of the door." Fatefiend pointed out.

"Ha, ha, ha." Redsplash said coldly, "Do you want my help or not?"

"Fine. Fine." Fatefiend said, "Come on. Quietly." 

Redsplash rolled her eyes at the reminder to be quiet and followed the ferret soundlessly through the ship. Fatefiend was getting good at being stealthy but Redsplash was still at least twice as good as him. It was stupid of him to tell her to be quiet, when they got to the wildcat's cabin Redsplash understood why Fatefiend had needed her help. I was a very tricky lock. She had it open in the time it took Fatefiend to ask her if she needed any help.

"Come on." she hissed and opened the door only as wide as she absolutely needed to before slipping into the room. She didn't want to bet that the door wouldn't creak if opened far enough. Fatefiend came in behind her, squinting in the darkness. In the time it took for his eyes to adjust Redsplash had found the only thing of interest in the cabin. It was a scroll hidden carefully behind a tapestry. The tapestry was of a bright happy place. Darkclaw would never have allowed the thing to exist in the same ship as him if it did not serve a purpose.

"Let's go." She hissed.

"I want to look around." Fatefiend protested.

"I already found what you want." Redsplash hissed, "Let's go back."

"Fine." Fatefiend said doubtfully but did what she said.

When they got back to the cabin Redsplash lit a small lamp and opened the scroll up, before handing it to Fatefiend. "What's it say?"

Fatefiend glanced down at the paper, reading it quickly.

**_            Darkclaw_**

****

**_            My part of the plan has been checked several times. Do you not trust me? I will be there when you need me. _**

**_I respectfully request that Darkwing be killed. The hawk contentiously insists that my answers must be swift and to the point. Does he not know how the court functions? _**

**_            Rumors of a berserk wildcat have begun to surface here, along with tales of an otter known as the Ghost. Some say the two have joined forces, some say they are bitter enemies, and some say they have yet to meet. The wildcat is said to have strange black markings on his forehead. I am reminded of your long lost brother._**

                                                                                                          **_Ijuiline_**

Fatefiend read the letter aloud then looked at her, "What's it mean?" he asked.

"Well, it means that we have no idea what's going on." Redsplash said with a note of impatience in her voice, "We have no idea who Ijuiline is, no idea what this plan is, and the only thing we know about Darkwing is that he is an impatient hawk."

"A hawk…" Fatefiend said, "I thought I saw a hawk a few days ago. Back when you got sick from that stew Darkclaw made…" he paused, eyes narrowed. "Yes. I saw a hawk. I tried to kill it and it landed in the forest…Darkclaw came out of the forest…"

"So, you think Darkwing and Darkclaw had a nice little chat while I passed out?" Redsplash asked, blinking.

"Yes." Fatefiend said, "We need to talk to the hawk."

"No we don't. We just need to kill it." Redsplash said.

"Why?" 

"Because it's obviously carrying the messages. If we kill the messenger their little plan'll fall apart." She paused, "Hopefully."

"What if it's a plan that would help us?"

"What plan that Darkclaw would make would be good for us?" Redsplash demanded, "He doesn't even like us."

"I don't think Darkclaw likes anybody. I think he thinks of us as annoying little things he has to live with." Fatefiend said sourly.

"Do you think Ijuiline is a wildcat?" Redsplash asked, completely ignoring Fatefiend's comment.

"I don't know." Fatefiend said, "I don't think I heard her name when I had to sit through the long list of Darkclaw's relatives."

"Doesn't sound like a wildcat name anyway." Redsplash said, "I think it sounds more like a fox name."

"Since when did you know so much about names?" 

"I dunno." Redsplash said, "I'm just guessing."

"Ah." 

"Fine." Redsplash said, irritated, "_You_ take this and figure something out. You put it back, too. I'm going to sleep. Get out."

"Red-"

"Out."

"Fine." Fatefiend said, turned, and stalked out of the room.

Redsplash smiled briefly as she heard the lock click back into place. Fatefiend would have no idea where the scroll went and when Darkclaw found out that someone had been messing with his things he would never suspect Redsplash who had been locked in her cabin all night. Suddenly Redsplash felt a fluttering in her stomach and closed her eyes and mouth tightly, hoping that if she just didn't breathe she wouldn't vomit her dinner all over the place.

Her method worked only because she held her breath for so long that she made herself go unconscious. 

Redsplash spent the next five or six days in the cabin, becoming increasingly irritated with the size of the room. It took five paces to get across it one way, and three the other. The room was a small rectangle with no way to see outside except to open the door. By the sixth day she became so aggravated that she began slamming her head into the door over and over again, hoping to either get some attention or to render herself unconscious. She had gotten over her seasickness, but that was mostly because she hadn't been eating. When she did eat she ate only a little, because the cabin smelled bad enough without adding the smell of vomit. 

Her head was just beginning to go numb when the door opened and Redsplash fell forward. She would have landed on her face if not for her reflexes, which allowed her to land on her hands and knees and quickly jump to her feet. She looked around, eyes narrowed, until she spotted Darkclaw.

The wildcat had his normal smirk in place as he stared down at her, "We've arrived." He said.

"That wasn't a very long trip." Redsplash commented rubbing her forehead.

"It didn't have to be." Darkclaw replied and suddenly some rat shouted his name. He nodded to Redsplash, turned, and walked off towards the rat.

Redsplash blinked as if something had surprised her. She turned and walked away. The crew gave her an incredibly wide berth as she turned and ducked back into her cabin where she waited until Fatefiend came to tell her that Darkclaw told them to leave at sundown, and that Darkclaw had already left to make sure nothing was happening on shore that would make it unsafe for them to be on shore.

"Right." Redsplash said, "He's probably gone to visit his messenger."

"Shouldn't we go after him, then?" Fatefiend asked.

"No." Redsplash said, "It would be to much trouble for us to sneak out of this ship in broad daylight, track Darkclaw, and get back on the ship before nightfall so we can just climb back down off the ship and go meet him."

"So, basically, we're to lazy?" 

            "Yes." Redsplash said. "Tell me when the sun goes down." She added and gave him a little shove towards her door.

            Fatefiend rolled his eyes, "You are incredibly lazy, Red. I mean really, really, lazy." 

            "And you're ugly, but I don't complain about it. Shut the door on your way out."

            "Fine." He said and walked the remaining distance out the door, paused, and then slammed the door shut, causing Redsplash to jump in surprise.

            Darkwing landed in the sand a few minutes after Darkclaw decided her was far enough away from the boat and sat down. The hawk tossed his message to Darkclaw and Darkclaw caught it. "That's Pravin's answer. He did not seem to happy about whatever you wrote him."

            "He shouldn't have been." Darkclaw replied. "I have a letter toAloysius I want you to give him." Darkclaw said.

            "Aloysius is close by. I'll have his answer within two days." Darkwing answered.

            "Good." Darkclaw replied. "Here." He added and handed the hawk the next letter he was to carry.

            "The otter that asked about your traveling companion is incredibly illusive. I have yet to catch a glimpse of him, but the stories he leaves behind are astounding. I doubt half of them are even based on truth though."

            "And why do you doubt them?"

            "Apparently he fought a badger, one of Narlig's clan, and won."

            "I had hoped Narlig's clan would have died with him."

            "Warhearts have always hated Narlig, though it was never said why."

            Darkclaw paused and then shrugged, "Badgers are supposed to be good. Evil badgers disrupts the order of everything. If we don't watch our young they will get it into their heads that since badgers can be evil wildcats could be good. We have enough things to do without having to deal with the stress of killing our children and kin."

            "Cold hearted prince I will see you later. I find that talking to you for to long makes me nauseous." Darkwing said and left quickly.

            Darkclaw smirked and began walking back to his ship; surprised Redsplash or Fatefiend hadn't tried to follow him. He had purposely left Ijuiline's message where they would find it and so at least one of them should have known to follow him. Perhaps he was overestimating them and they had not found the letter. It didn't really matter though, because there was nothing they could do that was going to save them. Not now. Not since they first got on the ship and definitely not now that they had followed Darkclaw across the ocean. 


	7. Chapter Seven

            (I apologize for the time it took me to get this chapter up. Really, I thought my life would get pretty busy, but I didn't count on it being _this_ busy. I really did not like writing this chapter…I think it shows, too. But I couldn't figure out how else to fit everything I needed in this chapter in it. 

            I've gotta come up with a new summary soon, but I hate writing them so…Anyway, I'll get the next chapter up soon. Unless I get run over by a bus (which almost happened so it's not really that funny…)

Oh, almost forgot. This chapter contains a mild torture scene, betrayal, and other things that might possibly upset kindergarteners. So, if you're just learning to read or your stomach has a tendency to heave if the word 'blood' is seen I recommend you run away. Now.)

            Redsplash had to almost swim for Fatefiend who had never bothered to learn to swim. Once they got to shallow enough water that he could stand up, though, she left him to brave the rest on his own and swam quickly up to the shore. She hugged the first plant life she saw and smiled happily, "Dear old solid ground." She said and kicked sand in Fatefiend's eyes as he came staggering up, "How I missed you."

            Fatefiend dunked his head back into the sea to get the sand off and came back up sputtering and glaring at Redsplash, "Red, why do you always do that?"

            "Do what?" she asked innocently.

            "Throw things at me!" Fatefiend said, striding up the shore and shaking himself off like he was a cat.

            "Oh, I dunno…because it's fun?" 

            "Oh, that's great." Fatefiend said, "Lovely. I'm a fun person to throw things at."

            Suddenly something flew through the air and hit him on the head. He crumpled to the ground and groaned, "Ow…" he said holding his head.

            "Sorry, but I have to agree with the otter. It is very fun to throw things at you." Came a voice and suddenly a black squirrel flew into their midst, laughing.

            Redsplash was on her feet with her dagger out in seconds, glaring at the squirrel, "I'm the only one who throws thing's at Fate." She said, her tone dangerously close to a growl.

            "Is that so?" the squirrel said with a feral grin. "How tragic for me then."

            "Yes." Redsplash said, "Tragic."

            "Ow…" Fatefiend repeated sitting up slowly and still holding his skull, "My head hurts."

            "What did you throw at him?" Redsplash demanded.

            "Oh. A rock."

            "_What_?" Redsplash, "Why?"

            "I wanted to test your theory." The squirrel replied, "And you were right. It _is_ fun." 

            "Zariel! Leave them be." Darkclaw said as he suddenly appeared in the darkness beside Fatefiend.

            "Darkclaw." The squirrel, Zariel said as if shocked at his presence. Immediately the mocking note was gone in her voice, "I didn't know they were under your protection."

            "You knew." Darkclaw snapped, "And what are you doing here?"

            "I came to find out if it was true." Zariel replied, "If you really were planning to fight the Nameless One."

            "Does your entire clan know?"

            "If they don't then they're death, blind, and dead." Zariel replied with a smirk.

            "And do they know that you're here?"

            "No…"

            "Then they'd never know who killed you if I let the otter loose on you."

            Zariel glanced doubtfully at Redsplash, barely able to make out the otter's shape in the darkness. Fatefiend had recovered enough that he was trying to light a fire, but he was moving slow and every now and then glancing at Zariel with anger in his gaze. 

            "She couldn't harm me," the black squirrel said, though she didn't sound half as sure of herself as she had before.

            "Willing to bet your life on it?" Darkclaw responded, frowning down at her.

            Zariel wavered briefly, "No." she snapped and then said, her tone considerably less defiant, "I came to ask you if you would have need of my tribe."

            "Do I need a tribe of mercenaries?" Darkclaw questioned, "Perhaps. How large is your clan?"

            "You know." Zariel replied accusingly then said, obviously getting annoyed, "Four score."

            "Then perhaps I will have need of your clan. I will send Darkwing to you if I need your help. Go now."

            "But-"

            "Go."

            Zariel muttered something vehemently under her breath, turned, and fled back into the night. 

            "It appears, Darkclaw, that you know the Tribe of Darkness." Fatefiend said after a minute, "Or does it just know you?"

            "The tribe of what?" Redsplash said, angry at both the squirrel and the other two's knowledge of the tribe from which the squirrel came from.

            "Of Darkness. It's a bunch of beasts, mostly squirrels, who, if they aren't black furred to begin with dye themselves black and go around killing in the dark, thus the unimaginative name." Fatefiend said.

            "They've had ties to the Warheart clan before." Darkclaw said his tone more of a growl then anything else, "Though mostly it's Bluefang that requires their services. I prefer lesser known assassins." 

            "Zariel is their princess, is she not?" Fatefiend asked.

            "Yes." Darkclaw said grudgingly. 

            "Why did she come here? What kind of plan would the Tribes of Darkness' elders think required their attention?"

            "I don't know." Darkclaw said, "They heard I was here and they came running." 

            "How did they know you were going to be here?" Redsplash asked, frowning. "How would they have known?"

            "Word travels." Darkclaw snapped.

            The fire suddenly roared to life and Fatefiend settled comfortable close to it. Suddenly he frowned and looked up at Darkclaw, "I have a question." He said.

            "Then ask it." Darkclaw replied impatiently.

            "Are we your travel companions or your hostages?" Fatefiend asked.

            Darkclaw's silence was not very reassuring. Redsplash stood up, scowling, "I don't like this anymore." She said.

            Darkclaw looked up at her, "How tragic." He said, his voice so sarcastic Fatefiend winced.

            Redsplash rolled her eyes at him, "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, cat."

            "That's what all those who are to stupid to use it, and so suffer constantly from it say, otter." Darkclaw replied evenly.

            Redsplash straightened, her angry expression turning slightly demonic thanks to the fire that danced in the wind. "I could leave." She threatened.

            "You mean you could try." Darkclaw replied.

            "Don't leave, Red." Fatefiend whined, "I don't wanna be here all alone with the wildcat. He's psychotic." 

            "Then come with me." Redsplash snarled. 

            "But…" Fatefiend said, looking at the fire and then over his shoulder at the darkness of the night. 

            "If you leave, otter, I could have the Darkness squirrels track you down." Darkclaw said calmly, "But it would be better for everyone if you just sat back down."

            "Squirrels." Redsplash with her usual disrespect for every species and every being other then herself, "I can go places squirrels can't."

            "Not with a ferret in tow." 

            "I don't have to bring him with me."

            "You won't leave him behind."

            Redsplash hesitated for a second, tense and ready to turn and run. Suddenly she scowled and spat on the sand, "Damn!" she hissed and sent Fatefiend a death glare, which he dodged it by directing his own at Darkclaw.

            "Calm down." Darkclaw said mildly, "It's not as if you could have escaped the squirrels anyway."

            Redsplash glared, turned on her heel, and stalked off along the shore, not intent on getting away but obviously not able to take any more of Darkclaw's condescending words. 

            Fatefiend stood up slowly, still glaring at Darkclaw, "You know Darkclaw," he said, his tone as mild and calm as Darkclaw's had been a few seconds ago, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste. I'm glad they didn't waste one on you." 

            He turned and walked after Redsplash. After he was gone, Darkclaw looked into the bushes behind where Fatefiend had been sitting, "Kael, I heard you show up halfway through Zariel's little visit. I know you're there so you might as well come out."

            A black weasel slunk out of the shadows, a dagger in one paw. "You should not hire the squirrels." He said calmly as he sat down across the fire from Darkclaw.

            "And why is that?"

            "Because my mercenaries are better trained and we can infiltrate the Nameless One's army easier." He replied.

            "Kael, I think you are overestimating yourself and underestimating the squirrels. Still, I would take your tribe over the Darkness tribe."

            "Why, if not because we are better skilled?"

            "Personal preference." Darkclaw said emotionlessly, "Now go."

            "And what do I tell my tribe?"

            Darkclaw frowned, "You must be assuming I care." He said, "I don't."

            Kael laughed and stood up, "If you need help in your little venture, wildcat, you know where you can find us."

            "Yes, because you never go away." Darkclaw replied.

            Kael laughed again, turned, and moved quickly into the night, disappearing as soon as he left the fire's light. Darkclaw glanced to the left, where Redsplash and Fatefiend had gone, stood up and walked away in the other direction, needing to talk to yet another person before the sun rose.

            "Red! Walk slower!" Fatefiend said as he jogged after her, catching up easily but complaining anyway, "You walk too fast."

            "You run to slow." Redsplash retorted.

            Fatefiend rolled his eyes, "Red, I don't think Darkclaw's gonna start a war."

            "And why do you think that?" Redsplash asked, sounding tired and disinterested.

            "Because if he was he wouldn't have let us see the squirrel. And there was either a weasel or a ferret behind me the whole time. Darkclaw's a manipulator. He controls everything or nothing. Those beasts wouldn't have gotten anywhere near us if Darkclaw didn't want them to."

            "I think you overestimate Darkclaw's brains."

            "I think you overestimate yourself and underestimate everyone else." Fatefiend said sharply. "Darkclaw let them get here because he wants _you_ to think that he's planning to start a war."

            Redsplash glared at him, "I _don't_ underestimate everyone, and why is it so important what _I_ think?"

            "Because out of the two of us _you're _the one that has to be right." Fatefiend snapped, surprising her by responding to her anger with his own. "_Your_ opinions matters the most because you automatically think _you're_ right and everyone else is wrong. You gonna get us both _killed_ if you keep this up, Red. As far as I know I'm your only friend so I'm gonna be the first to die, and I don't _want_ to die!"

            "Coward." Redsplash snapped, "_I'm_ not afraid of death."

            Fatefiend stared at her for a minute then growled, literally, and stomped off back towards the fire, grumbling under his breath. All that Redsplash was able to understand was, "…totally missed the point. Stupid _otter_….kill…drunken…lunatic!"

            Darkclaw and Fatefiend reached the fire at about the same time. Fatefiend sent Darkclaw a suspicious look, and Darkclaw returned it with one of complete blankness. About half an hour later Redsplash arrived dripping wet and tossed two fish at Fatefiend. With reflexes neither Redsplash nor Darkclaw knew he had Fatefiend caught them before they could hit his nose and then sniffed them.

            "Catch them with your bare paws?" he asked, looking up at her.

            "Yes." She replied shortly.

            "I'll go wash them." Fatefiend said and Redsplash picked up on the hidden insult almost immediately. She glared after him as he calmly walked away. 

            "Don't get seasick when you're swimming in it?" Darkclaw asked idly after a while.

            Redsplash sent him a death glare and didn't answer. In fact, she didn't talk for the rest of the night. She refused to comment on the fish, which was excellent, reply to the remarks made by both Darkclaw and Fatefiend, and didn't answer when one of them asked if she planned on catching fish for the rest of the time they were near the sea.

            She slept near the ocean and far away from them, getting up once to go for a brief swim, before going back to sleep.

            "I know this place." Redsplash said, looking around in confusion. It was half a day later, and they were walking through the forest.

            "This is were that fox that sold you supposedly caught you. Apparently you were floating in a creek like a dead body."

            "Why'd he fish her out if he thought she as dead?" Fatefiend inquired.

            Darkclaw glanced at him, "How should I know?" he demanded irritably.

            "Well, I figure if any of us should know it would be you." Fatefiend said, grinning, "After all, you do eat dead things you find, don't you?"

            Darkclaw shoved him in the creek and Fatefiend came up sputtering. "If you don't stop insulting me we'll find out, now won't we?" Darkclaw growled.

            "What's gotten you so angry?" Redsplash said as she grasped Fatefiend by the paw and pulled him out of the water.

            Darkclaw scowled, "I've been traveling with _you_ for the past month, why shouldn't I be irritated?"

            "Hmm…" Fatefiend said, looking at Redsplash who was kicking at the water in annoyance, "Good point."

            "The closer we get to the Nameless One the more it occurs to me…" Redsplash said, smiling sweetly up at Darkclaw, "That we're all _crazy_!" She added, the sweet smile disappearing to be replaced by a scowl. She stalked off, following the stream to where the Nameless One's castle lay.

            "Is it just me…or was that a mood swing?" Fatefiend asked as he and Darkclaw followed.

            "Is it just me or do you never shut up?" Darkclaw replied, hurrying to put distance between himself and Fatefiend, but not catch up with Redsplash.

            "All right…" Fatefiend said, "They're both crazy." There was a pause and then, "But I'm the one back here talking to myself…"

            "So…what exactly are we trying to do here anyway?" Fatefiend asked around two hours as they paused to take a brief break. Redsplash crawled up a tree rather then wade through the creek that had become shallow enough for Fatefiend to walk around in without the water going past his knees, as long as he avoided a very sudden drop off that went down very much father then his height. Redsplash ate an apple as she watched the other two, pausing once or twice to throw a bit of bark at Darkclaw who was sharpening his claws.

            "Get my sister, alive or dead, out of this land and back to my home." Darkclaw said, pausing to squint at one claw that was slightly less then razor sharp.

            "You don't care if she's dead?" Fatefiend asked as he continued walking around in the creek, pausing every now and then to stare at the ground he was stepping on through the incredibly clear water.

            "Why should I?" Darkclaw said, looking up at him blankly.

            "You mean we're being dragged around for a rescue attempt, and we don't even care if the beast we're trying to rescue is _alive_?" Redsplash demanded.

            "Yes." Darkclaw responded, extending all of his claws and carefully beginning to dye each of them red.

            Redsplash groaned in annoyance and rolled out of the tree, landing cat like on the ground. She stood up, brushing leaves off herself, and walked over to join Fatefiend in the water. "I'm beginning to think being eaten would have been better then this little trek."

            "How odd." Fatefiend said, "I'm not."

            "That's because you're just…normal." Redsplash said, kicking water at him.

            Fatefiend dodged the water, and frowned at her thoughtfully. "If I was normal," he said slowly, "Why would I be _your_ friend?"

            Redsplash rolled her eyes at him but didn't answer. Instead she walked over to the side of the stream and started skipping rocks. The fact that they seemed to be aimed at Fatefiend was purely an accident…probably.

            "How long will it take us to get to the Nameless One's castle?" Darkclaw asked casually.

            Fatefiend paused to look around, another thoughtful frown on his face. "Depends on which way we go." Fatefiend said, glancing at Darkclaw. "If you want me to answer you, you have to give me a real question."

            Darkclaw's eyebrows rose, "How many paths could we take?"

            "Many." Fatefiend said. "It depends on if we're going to walk straight into the castle, sneak around the back, or take some of the secret tunnels in."

            "Secret tunnels?"

            "Yes. They're guarded by five or six guards. Each."

            Darkclaw snorted, "Just five?"

            "Yes." Fatefiend said with a nod, "And most of the five, if they aren't wolves, are badgers of Narlig's clan, and I think even one or two from your brood." Fatefiend shook his head, "My father has gold, Darkclaw. A very large amount."

            "And gold is so influential." Came a voice, accompanied by the rustle of leaves and, suddenly, five beasts were standing in the clearing with them, all holding weapons that were all aimed at the three of them. Two of them were wolves, looking almost brainwashed as they stood there with blank expressions on their faces, one of them was a young female badger who bared her fangs at Redsplash who bared her own fangs in reply, and the one that had spoken was a well groomed wildcat who bore features that were slightly similar to Darkclaw's. He smiled at the other wildcat, "Darkclaw. Hello."

            "Farraw." Darkclaw growled, "You always were a coward. Signed up with the ferret, did you?" he said, spitting out the word ferret.

"Yes, and am richly paid for it too." The other wildcat said with a feral grin. "And we have to take your two friends back to the Nameless One. There is a handsome reward out for them."

            "I'll die first." Redsplash said, standing up and baring her teeth again at the badger.

            "I won't." Fatefiend put in, raising his paw.

            "Fate!" Redsplash hissed, "Now is not the time to be a coward."

            "Now is not the time to start being a hero." Fatefiend snapped back.

            "Why you little-"

            "Although," Farraw interrupted Redsplash, "I might just walk away and forget ever seeing you."

            "And what price would I have to pay for that?" Darkclaw demanded.

            "Only a claw." Farraw said, "Left paw, any of them."

            Darkclaw's low growl made even Redsplash nervous. "Just _try_ it." 

            "Nagri, get the otter." Farraw demanded. "And now, Darkclaw, what will you do when you're two little friends are captured?"

            "Turn and run." Darkclaw snapped back, backing slowly away. "They're nothing to me. Snacks for the trip, Farraw." 

            A flicker of doubt entered Farraw's eyes but he turned his attention on Redsplash who was crouched, watching the badger. "Fine then Darkclaw, you'll loose your snacks. And after the Unnamed One is done with them I'll cook what's left."

            Suddenly Darkclaw's attention was snapped to the left, and he blinked. He turned his attention back on Farraw and, slowly, grinned very, very broadly, revealing all of his very sharp teeth. "I don't think so, Farraw." He said.

            "What?" Farraw said, "You think you can somehow stop me?"

            "Me?" Darkclaw said, "No…" he waved his hands at the surrounding trees, "But they can."

            And abruptly fifty or so ferrets, weasels, squirrels, stoats, and a few rats appeared out of the trees, with bows all drawn and pointing directly at the five beasts. Apparently Zariel and Kael had molded their forces together and come to Darkclaw's rescue. 

            Farraw hesitated, suddenly looking like he was trying to decide if he wanted to fight or run. "Darkclaw-" he started, as the other wildcat stood up and began walking towards him. "Darkclaw, you-"

            Darkclaw's fist connected solidly with the side of his head, and the wildcat crumpled, unconscious. Without warning the badger let out a roar of fury and charged at Redsplash. Redsplash lunged to the side, rolling into the water. The badger followed and Redsplash kept backing up, grinning broadly. Suddenly she started swimming, almost scraping the ground. Roaring in anger, ignoring the arrows now sticking out of her, the badger lunged. Redsplash was faster though, moving backwards. Suddenly she reached the other bank and frowned, turning around quickly. She scrambled, trying to get out of the creek, and the badger roared louder and leaped…and fell straight into the drop off Redsplash had swam over.

            If the badger had known how to swim she could have gotten to the surface and finished Redsplash off, who was now calmly climbing to the shore. When the badger jumped off the ground her muzzle came within a paw's reach of the surface, but she couldn't make. Redsplash watched her struggle futilely to reach the surface, as did all the other creatures in the clearing, including the two wolves that watched everything with blank expressions on their faces, until the badger finally died. 

            "Nice lungs." Fatefiend said enthusiastically, "I thought she would die long before that." 

            Redsplash glanced up at him and rolled her eyes. "What're we gonna do about the wolves?" she asked Darkclaw.

            "I don't know." Darkclaw said, glancing at them. "I really can't stand the idea of eating a wolf."

            "Aw, does it give the likkle baby a ikkle tummy ache?" Fatefiend asked, dodging Darkclaw's paw when it tried to hit him in the back of the head, claws still out. 

            "Be silent, ferret." He said tiredly. He turned to the wolves, "What pack are you from?" he asked.

            Neither answered, staring at him dully as if he were speaking a language neither understood. He frowned. "Kill them." he ordered. Redsplash opened her mouth to object, but the archers had already fired. Two bodies hit the ground, peppered full of arrows. Neat clusters of arrows were on each wolf's eyes, heart, and neck. 

            Redsplash scowled, swimming over to the other side of the creek, back with Darkclaw, and glaring at him. "Why'd you do that?" she demanded. Those were the only wolves she had ever seen, and she had wanted a better look while they were still alive.

            "They were mutes." Darkclaw said, "And stupid. They were probably run out of their pack. Neither of them had the brains to survive on their own, and I don't need them slowing us down. They were probably only in Farraw's little group for show." Darkclaw said darkly.

            "So you kill them?" Fatefiend asked.

            "Yes." Darkclaw said. "But we won't leave them here to rot."

            "We won't?" Fatefiend said doubtfully.

            "No." Darkclaw said with a shake of his head. "Wolves and my clan have long had a camaraderie. We will tie them to a log and send them down this creek. It'll run into the Unnamed One's castle, if the stories about the streams are true, and be carried off north. Perhaps they will be found and pulled out."

            "Shouldn't we bury them?" Fatefiend inquired as he stared down the bleeding, dead, wolves.

            "No." Darkclaw said, "Never give more respect to your enemy then is needed." 

            Redsplash caught that and, suddenly, spat directly at the wildcat. Darkclaw stared at the spittle on his shoulder and them wiped it off, turning to stare at Redsplash. "Subtle, otter." He said dryly, "Very subtle."

            "I thought it was funny." Fatefiend said, laughing softly. "Very funny." He added, in a mockery of Darkclaw's voice.

            "You allow these beasts to be so disrespectful?" Kael asked in slight wonder as he and Zayn, the leader of the Darkness Clan, walked hurriedly up.

            "Them and them only." Darkclaw said, turning to give Zayn, Zariel's mother, a look that wiped the smirk off her face very quickly. "And I wonder," he said softly, his gaze piercing as it settled on Zayn, "How long you have been following me."

            "I'll take responsibility for that." Kael said, stepping forward, bow in hand. "Ijuiline sent me. Aloysius, apparently, is in the middle of a battle and could not send his troops nor could your messenger bird land. I have a message I am to give you, but not in front of the others."

            "So you follow me?"

            "I wasn't to tell you until the castle was in sight." Kael said.

            Redsplash whirled, her eyes searching. She ran up the slope of the bank, shoving aside the undergrowth. When she reached the tip of the slight incline she saw it. The fortress of her enemy. She was back. She had escaped and here she was, back again. "Damn."

            "Kael, I need to speak with you. Redsplash, Fatefiend, if you would kindly go away and bicker amongst yourselves…"

            "You can't order us to fight." Fatefiend whined, "It won't _work_."

            "Oh, I'm sure we'll find _something_ to argue about. We always do." Redsplash said sourly and walked off. Fatefiend sighed and jogged after her, sending an annoyed glance at Darkclaw who smirked in return.

            Darkclaw muttered something to Kael and the weasel gestured. Three ferrets slunk away, after Redsplash and Fatefiend.

            "So, Fate, how long you think it's gonna be before Darkclaw gets us killed?" Redsplash asked idly while she kicked at a nearby rock.

            "Oh, I dunno…couple days at least." The ferret replied, dodging out of the way of the rock.

            "Really? I was betting a week. At least." Redsplash said. "Or…it'll take then at least one week to kill _me_."

            Fatefiend rolled his eyes, "Are you kidding? My father's gonna take _months_ to kill you. _Me_ he'll kill in a week or two."

            "No, see, I'll let myself die in a week or two."

            "Oh. Right." Fatefiend said, snorting. "Like you have control over when you die."

            "I do." Redsplash said, a brief frown flickering over her face. For a second, she could have _sworn_ she saw a ferret moving through the forest. A ferret other then Fatefiend, of course.

            "Then die. Now." Fatefiend said jokingly.

            "I'd rather not, thank you." Redsplash said, rolling her eyes. Abruptly, three ferrets stood and fired their slings. Fatefiend went down, the rock aimed at him thudding solidly right between his skull.

            Redsplash staggered, the two rocks bouncing off the side of her face and doing no real damage. The ferret that had taken care of Fatefiend reloaded and whirled the sling, sending the rock flying to land right between her eyes, like he had with Fatefiend. Redsplash fell back, all the air going out of her lungs as she hit the ground, her breath and her consciousness retreating rapidly.

            Darkclaw was in the process of worming information out of his cousin when Kael's ferret came trotting up, carefully carrying Redsplash and Fatefiend with them. Darkclaw gestured and the ferret dropped the two unconscious creatures, backing away quickly, eyes wide in shock at the bleeding, murmuring form that had once been the enemy wildcat.

            "So, Farraw, you were saying…"

            "What…what…I can't remember." The wildcat, his voice a twisted mockery of his previous aloof, arrogant tone that made Darkclaw smirk.

            "About the Nameless One. Really, you should remember my questions." Darkclaw said, and quickly, gently, cut the skin right below Farraw's right eye, watching the blood mixing with the sweat and roll down his cousin's face. It occurred to him that he would have figured Farraw to be a crier, but he wasn't. He wasn't crying. Which was good, because that would have made Darkclaw angrier then he was now. 

            "Oh…him. He-he's hired half of Narlig's clan…and some-some of us. He's got my brothers working for him…and-and-" Farraw struggled to his knees, reaching out towards Darkclaw who quickly moved his arm out of the way. "And he's got Yanli and Ilnay in the dungeons. You've gotta get them out, Darkclaw. P-please…don't leave them there. They're only _cubs_."

            "Yours." Darkclaw snapped, "Not mine."

            "Fine." Farraw said and fell back, "Then I refuse to talk."

            "Oh, really?" Darkclaw said, pressing his blade against Farraw's remaining ear with just enough pressure to remind him how much it had hurt when the other ear had been sliced off.

            Farraw took a breath and let it out, the sound rattling with the blood in his mouth. "F-fine." He hissed, "But my brothers _will_ get their revenge."

            "I'll kill them." Darkclaw said easily, "Your children and your wife too if you don't tell him what I want to know."

            Farraw closed his eyes, his golden orbs hidden from the world momentarily. "You…cut too deeply, Dark." Farraw said. "I'm bleedin-ing out."

            "Tell me what the Nameless One would pay for his son and his escaped otter slave back and I will end your life quickly."

            "Everything…" Farraw said, eyes opening briefly and then closing. "He'd pay everything but his life…"

            "Ah…that's very helpful." Darkclaw said and raised his dagger, preparing to slit Farraw's neck.

            "No." Farraw said weakly. "I'm a bastard, Dark. I don't need t-to be killed by my old fr-friend…"

            Darkclaw frowned, considered killing him anyway, but then stood up. "I will save one of your twins, Farraw. If the other one is easy to save, I will end that one's imprisonment too. I don't need a war between our families."

            "W-watch the otter…'ark…sh-she and the f-ferret's son aren't as weak as they seem…and…and don't…"

            Darkclaw listened to Farraw take one more breath and knew it would be the wildcat's last. Darkclaw turned and walked away, stopping long enough to grab one of Kael's stoats, lift the thing off the ground, and hiss, "Bury that." He threw the stoat towards his dead cousin and went to talk to Zariel about getting Redsplash and Fatefiend carried to the castle before dawn, and after that, he would see what Kael's little message from Aloysius said. Of course, he'd have to kill Aloysius for failing to come to his aid, but that could all wait. 

            A memory from his childhood popped into his head. He and Farraw used to be best friends, but then Farraw's family had fallen into disfavor and Darkclaw wasn't allowed near the other wildcat. The request that Farraw had made, a claw from Darkclaw's left paw, would have brought him and his entire family back into favor, and the favored families tended to get more sympathy when their cubs were in dungeons. It was annoying to see what his once-friend had been reduced too, but not incredibly upsetting. Farraw was dead now, and the wildcat would never know that Darkclaw would never carry out his promise. Yanli and Ilnay would rot in the Nameless One's dungeons until they broke out or were set free, Darkclaw had only wanted to make Farraw die easily, and in that, at least, he had succeeded. 


	8. Chapter Eight

            (I feel accomplished. I actually got this chapter finished in less then two weeks. Oh, by the way, there's gonna be twelve chapters. Probably. 

And warning: I'm bad at writing endings and in the last couple stories I actually finished…I ended them by killing all the 'good guys' off in a massive explosion. I'll try not to sink to that level again but…I'm _really_ bad at endings.)

            Aloysius the fox paced in uneasy circles around and around the huge room. Suddenly the door burst open and the fox had his sword out before the echoes even started. It was only Xema, though, the younger of his two sisters. Of course, Zenthara had been slain the second day of battling, so now Xema was the _only_ sister.

            "And what do you plan to do?" Xema demanded, glaring at him in anger. 

            "What do _you_ plan to do?" Aloysius snapped, scowling at his sister. Though Xema was obviously the better warrior among the two of them, Aloysius was the smarter. Not that Aloysius was a bad fighter, he was actually very good with a sword, but Xema was the assassin. While Aloysius had been being taught strategy, Xema had been learning how to get up to and through a five-story window without making a sound.

            None of that would help them now. A strange creature, known only as the Ghost had arrived at most a month or so ago, but in that time he had managed to take the pathetic rebellion and turn it into a full-fledged army. An army that was currently in the process of knocking down his gates. Some said the Ghost was an otter with eyes such a dark green they looked like a forest at midnight, and some said it was a mouse warrior from Redwall. Aloysius was more inclined to believe the otter story. After all, mice were rather weak. 

            "A lot more then you do!" Xema shouted at him, answering his previous question, "If we do not attack back we will be crushed!"

            "Then lead an attack, sister." Aloysius said quietly.

            Xema glared, "I will be killed!" she shouted, "Their archers are shooting at every fox they see!"

            "Is that why you came here? To avoid being killed?" Aloysius, concern in his face and tone. "If I had known you were so afraid of dying I wouldn't have-"

            "I am _not_ afraid!" Xema shouted, "You just want me to die so that you won't have to worry about anyone trying to take your throne from you."

            "Dear sister, if I wished you dead, you would be dead." Aloysius said, concern draining from his voice.

            "We will die here!" Xema hissed.

            "We all die." Aloysius said, looking around. "Sooner or later."

            "I would rather _not_ die now."

            "Than lead the attack! Or send one of our captains to do it!"

            "Our _captains_ are incompetent idiots!" Xema hissed. "They would not be able to lead a successful charge if all they had to do was walk along after the soldiers."

            "Forgive me for saying so, Xema, but wasn't it _you_ who picked the captains?"

            Xema glared at him, "Brother, one of these days you'll wake up to find a dagger over your throat."

            "Why, sister, what would mother say if she knew you were threatening me?" Aloysius asked sarcastically.

            "Probably the same thing Zenthara would have said." Xema said, "They would have _cheered_."

            "But they are _dead_."

            "And whose fault is it that Zenthara died? I _told_ you about the Ghost."

            "And I told _you_ to double the guard."

            "I _did_."

            "Then there was nothing any of us could have done! Zenthara was stupid. She died for it. And the more we stand here and argue about it, the more likely it is that _we're_ going to die!"

            "I am not afraid of death, Aloysius."

            "Than lead the charge!"

            Xema glared, detecting the trap too late. Before she could answer, however, an arrow seemed to grow out of the space between her eyes.

            Aloysius reacted immediately, lunging away from where his sister was now falling to the ground. He pressed himself against the wall, staring at the three windows. None of them seemed to be broken. But then how…

            "Aloysius!" growled a voice, and an otter dropped from the rafters. He frowned at the fox and Aloysius straightened, his sword clutched tightly.

            "Ghost?" Aloysius returned.

            "You are a tyrant. I will kill you for your crimes."

            "You're welcome to try." Aloysius replied, lunging forward.

            But the Ghost seemed almost impossible to hit. The fight went on for at least an hour, and the Ghost never even drew his sword. Instead he simply dodged the blows the fox tried to rain down on the otter.

            Finally Aloysius drew back, determined to take a brief rest from attacking. But as soon as Aloysius stopped attacking the otter easily knocked his feet from under him and had the fox on his knees, struggling to stand.

            The otter's sword moved to brush against the fox's throat and Aloysius froze. "Tell me what you know about the Nameless One."

            "The…Nameless One." Aloysius muttered, blinking. He was going to die now. Was it worth telling everything he knew? Yes. Because who cared now? "He is searching for his son and an escaped slave."

            "Would that be an otter slave?" the otter asked, tilting his head to the left.

            "Yes." Aloysius said. "An escaped otter slave…named Redsplash."

            "Redsplash." The otter murmured, recognizing the name, and annoyed that it wasn't the one he'd been hoping for. 

            "Why do you care?" Aloysius ventured.

            The Ghost glanced down at him, frowning. "I must hunt her down next."

            "Do you simply go around killing those that have committed evil deeds?" Aloysius said, his tone mocking.

            The Ghost blinked, "Yes." He said, "Because the evil must be stopped."

            "And what has this otter done?" Aloysius demanded.

            The Ghost ignored him and with a swift stroke ended the fox's life. He turned, walking past the tyrant's sister, and out of the throne room. He had to open the gates for the army of rebels. And then? Then he had to stay until this battle was over. And then? And then he would leave, because if Redsplash had escaped she wouldn't go back. And he needed to find out where she was going.

            The Ghost frowned at that thought and tightened his grip on his dagger. He'd been hearing of Redsplash for a very long time, but this was the first time he'd heard she had escaped the Nameless One. Now, perhaps, he would be able to finally hunt her down and begin settling the past that haunted him. 

            The Nameless One was pacing. That alone was enough to alert his guards, warn them of his foul temper, but if that hadn't been bad enough, he was also clutching a sword in his right paw. His dark green eyes were narrowed as he paced up and down the hallway, every now and then pausing and looking around. Looking for someone to blame his annoyance on.

            It had been about a month since the otter went missing, and who knew how long since his son disappeared. His son wasn't as important as the otter. Because that otter had what he wanted, and the otter was gone. In the clutches of the Warheart clan of Northern Discord, kept inside Bluefang's castle by his brother, Darkclaw. Or she had been. But when the two brother's mother had finally died, Bluefang had ascended the throne and the wildcat had lavished gifts on the powerful ferret. The Nameless One had only wanted one gift though. A powerful female otter whose arrogance rivaled the pompous meat eater. The otter, Bluefang had insisted, had been taken by his brother, along with a curious ferret ambassador from the Unnamed One, away from the castle.

            The 'ambassador', the Nameless One was sure, was his errant son. What the Unnamed One couldn't understand was why Fatefiend would risk his freedom for the otter. He had known the two had been friends, he'd even known they were planning a rebellion together. But what kind of madness would make Fatefiend hazard his freedom for an otter? One of the _slaves_ no less. It was nauseating. 

            And to make matters worse, Farraw's unit hadn't reported in. The two wolves that belonged to that group had been seen floating through one of the northeastern streams late last night. It was barely dawn now, but the Nameless One had a feeling in his gut that something was going to happen soon. Something both good and bad. Something he should be wary of.

            "Sire!" called a weasel captain as he trotted up. "Sire!" he repeated and bowed.

            The Nameless One looked at him sourly, "What?" he demanded.

            "There is a wildcat at the gates who wishes to speak with you!" the weasel said, bowing again.

            "Oh?" The Unnamed One asked, his voice deceptively gentle, almost friendly. "And what does this wildcat say his name is?"

            "D-Darkclaw Warheart, brother to Bluefang." The weasel stuttered.

            The Nameless One paused, considering. "And what does he want?" he asked, his voice calm and warm. If the weasel didn't answer with the answer the Nameless One wanted…

            "He says he has your son, and that he would like to speak to you about a trade." The weasel said, a bead of sweat slipping down his face.

            The Nameless One's lip twitched into a disgusted snarl, watching the sweat. "Captain." He said, his voice cold and deadly, "Get out of my castle by nightfall, or I will kill you."

            "Yes, sire. Thank you!" the weasel said, turned, and sprinted away.

            The Unnamed One shook his head, disgusted and annoyed. He turned and began walking, putting his sword carefully back into its sheath as he went, his mind quickly going over the situation, analyzing everything and coming up with solutions to things that would most likely never happen. But then, with the prince of the Warheart Clan, it was never known what would happen.

            Darkclaw sat at a table; the unconscious Fatefiend slumped on the ground. The ferret had woken once, but had been sent quickly back to sleep. When the Nameless One entered Darkclaw found himself not at all impressed. Yes, the ferret_ looked_ dangerous, and didn't seem like the type to back away from a fight, but Darkclaw took both of those attributes to the extreme. Darkclaw was the embodiment of dangerous.

            "Ah, Prince." The Nameless One said with a smile that didn't even try to reach his eyes. "How are you?"

            "Currently, I'm feeling rather annoyed." Darkclaw rumbled, "As it turns out, the slave I thought might perhaps belong to you didn't. She belongs to Aloysius."

            "The fox?" the Unnamed One said, blinking. "I had thought that the fox rarely bothered with slaves."

            "He normally doesn't, which was why it was so important I give that one back. He was becoming rather annoying. Demanding that everyone search for a certain slave."

            From the look the Nameless One gave him, the ferret knew perfectly well that the wildcat was both lying and sending him a veiled insult. But there was no way, politely, that the Unnamed One could point this out. So he settled for glancing at his son. "And what do you want for…that?"

            "Silverdawn."

            "Ah…your sister. I wasn't aware you had such a strong connection to your sibling." The Nameless One said and Darkclaw frowned at the smirk one the Nameless One's face.

            "It is an insult for any member of my family to be held captive by a ferret." Darkclaw said, smiling softly. "And I thought that perhaps I could avoid war by bringing you your lost child back."

            The Nameless One smiled in return, but Darkclaw could sense tension filling the room. Good. He didn't want the Unnamed One treating this like a game. In all out warfare Darkclaw wasn't sure who would win. The Nameless One had more intelligence than most of the wildcats, as much as it stung to admit it, but the Warheart clan was fierce and it had allies. 

            "I thought I made it clear I would trade your sister for the escaped otter slave, and _only_ the slave."

            Darkclaw's eyebrows rose, "Why are you so obsessed about this one slave?"

            The Nameless One scowled at him. He was completely unwilling to say anything about that. Instead he glanced at his son, "Why would I want him back, cat?"

            "I thought, perhaps, you'd want him back when you heard what he was doing."

            "And what is that?"

            "Drawing up an army to come after you. Mostly just stray otter and squirrel tribes, but he had also enlisted Kael's band of mercenaries and the Tribe of Darkness. He'd been to Salamandastron, collected at least a score of the hares there, and was about a day's travel from Redwall."

            "The abbey?" the ferret said, sending his son a quick, suspicious glance. Darkclaw knew Fatefiend enough to tell that if he hadn't been traveling with Redsplash that was exactly what the ferret would have done. 

            "Yes." Darkclaw said, "The abbey with the mouse as its warrior."

            The Nameless One sighed, not sure if he should believe the wildcat but knowing what would happen if he called Darkclaw a liar. A war with the wildcats would be costly and long. Neither of them needed that, and neither of them wanted it. But there was still something about the ferret that alarmed and annoyed Darkclaw. Every now and then he would act like he was about to burst out laughing. Like that was some huge joke that Darkclaw didn't understand. And Darkclaw didn't like the feeling of not understanding something.

            "Well, I suppose I will allow you to have your sister back in exchange for my son. But if you find the otter slave…" 

            "I believe you have two of my kin in your dungeons. If I find the otter, I will exchange her for them."

            "Of course." The Unnamed One said with a smile that told Darkclaw that the ferret knew that Darkclaw would never give him the otter, and that he didn't care at all about his cousin's children.

            Kael blended in with the other weasels easily, but he was still careful. Darkclaw hadn't given him an easy task, but then the wildcat wasn't exactly pleased with the message Kael had delivered to him. This Ghost was becoming famous with the mice, voles, and otters and infamous with the vermin. The fact that he'd managed to put Aloysius under siege was surprising, considering how many rebellions the fox had successfully gotten rid of.

            Kael was wandering around, dragging the otter with him. Redsplash…if she was smart she'd change her name. Darkclaw's plan was alarming only because the wildcat was giving the ferret and the otter a chance to save each other and escape. Darkclaw would normally kill them, because, in the end, those he betrayed were the ones that would try to kill him. Not that either of them could even get close to hurting Darkclaw. Kael had only seen the wildcat fight _once_, against a badger bound for Salamandastron, but it had been enough to make the weasel wary and impressed. Besides being intelligent and cold, the wildcat could easily best most badgers in a fight. Seeing him fight a wolf, a _real_ wolf…now _that_ would be interesting.

            The story was that Kael was a passing slave trader and the otter was troublesome enough that he was dropping her off here instead of where he normally sold his slaves. It was believable enough. Or it would be, once the otter woke up. He found the slave cells approximately five minutes after he was supposed to be outside the castle. A fat rat sat with a whip in one hand watching the slaves and drinking from a mug.

            Kael's lip twitched in contempt, but he managed to keep his tone one of complete impassiveness as he said, "The Nameless One just bought this slave."

            The rat glanced at the otter, staring hard and squinting. Kael fought back the instinct to kill the rat. Such stupidity and weakness did the world about as much good as Kael did when drunk. None. Well…there was that one time he'd killed his brother when he was drunk and he supposed that _had_ helped bit. 

            "Well toss 'er in with the rest of 'em." The rat said, his voice slurred and annoying.

            Kael smirked as he briefly considered throwing the rat in there instead of the otter. It would be amusing to listen to the rat's screams as the slaves tore him apart, but that would ruin the plan. The whole plot revolved around Redsplash being undetected for at least a few days. The rat tossed him the keys and the weasel caught them easily, unconsciously wiping them off on his shirt before unlocking the doors.

            The slaves watched him, some hollow eyed and empty, others worried and frightened, and a few angry and threatening. He smiled cheerfully at them all and tossed Redsplash in. He ignored the sound of her ribs slamming into the heavy stonewall as he relocked the cells. He turned and began walking away, headed quickly for the mostly secret exit he had entered.

            Darkclaw stood outside the castle. Waiting. Kael had slunk up a few seconds ago, obviously annoyed by something. The weasel now stood a few paces away, glaring at the castle's heavy wood and steel door as they waited. Darkclaw was not worried that the Nameless One would not give his sister back, alive, but was becoming annoyed that it was taking so long.

            Finally the door creaked open and several vermin came out, tugging a small wagon. Darkclaw frowned, his claws fully extending before he realized what was happening. "Where is my sister?" he demanded.

            "In the wagon, sir." Said one of the weasels, covered in sweat. Darkclaw sensed contempt radiating off of Kael, but chose to ignore it. 

            "Why is my sister in a wagon?" Darkclaw asked.

            "Because she's unconscious." A fox said, frowning up at the wildcat. Noting Darkclaw's stormy expression he smiled cheerfully up at him, mocking him.

            Darkclaw blinked and smiled back, before slashing at the fox with his claws. He wasn't bothered when the fox, screaming, fell to the ground, his face in shreds. Darkclaw grabbed hold of the handles the vermin were using to drag the wagon and began walking off, not at all bothered by the weight.

            At least one of the vermin tried to go after Darkclaw, but was quickly dispatched by Kael and his impressive aim with throwing daggers.

            Later, about an hour later, they arrived at the clearing right before the one that the rest of Darkclaw's temporary band was camped at. A hiss sounded from the wagon and Darkclaw stopped, turning to stare at the covered part in surprise. Silverdawn never hissed. Never showed anger. Could the Nameless One have tried to trick them? Was he really that stupid?

            Suddenly a silver furred, young, female wildcat lunged out of the wagon, flying towards Darkclaw. It took a very small amount of effort to use the wildcat's momentum against her and pin her to the ground. Her recognized his sister's features, but not the pure anger and hate painted on them.

            There was a brief flicker of hesitation and then the wildcat stopped fighting. "Darkclaw?" she asked, staring up at him in confusion.

            "Silverdawn?" Darkclaw replied, half mocking her, and half really wondering if it _was_ his sister.

            "No." his sister said, shaking her head and glaring, "My name is Bloodrise now."

            Darkclaw stood up, pausing long enough to grab his sister's paw and pull her up with him. Kael had wisely slunk off, knowing he was not wanted at this particular family reunion. "And why has your name changed?"

            "Because _I_ have." Silverdawn, or Bloodrise, said forcefully. "I'm a murderer now, Dark. I've finally become what you always wanted me to be." There was a slight bitterness in her tone.

            Darkclaw couldn't recognize the feeling in his stomach for a minute and waited, giving it time to show itself. And then he understood. He was furious. Whatever that damned ferret had done to his sister to change her from a peace-loving vegetarian to this wild and angry creature he saw before him was breaking at least twenty laws of honor. The Nameless One would pay for this. But not with his life, because Darkclaw didn't have the numbers for that. No, he would take back what he'd conveniently deposited in the ferret's lap. Redsplash and Fatefiend would be taken from him. 

            Redsplash woke slowly, not wanting to wake up at all. Someone was watching her, though. Sitting next to her and watching, waiting. She opened one eye and found, to her great shock, that an albino otter male was sitting next to her, staring at her emotionlessly.

            Redsplash sat up quickly, looking around. She realized where she was almost immediately and closed her eyes. _Damn_…

            "Who are you?" the otter asked.

            Redsplash opened one eye and sent him a glance meant to tell him to be silent and leave her alone. He just waited for her reply though, and Redsplash sighed. "Redsplash…" she said.

            "The otter?" he asked, frowning.

            "No." Redsplash said dryly, "The mouse."

            He ignored her comment and squinted at her, "You were the only slave to ever escape." He said.

            "That's because the otter that was supposed to save me gotten eaten alive by pike." Redsplash said sharply.

            He blinked, "Well, now I know what happened to _him_." He muttered.

            "Good for you." Redsplash said and stood up, walking over to the cell. She recognized Denraid, the fat self-named rat. She blinked, realizing that if the Nameless One knew she was here she wouldn't be in the slave holding cell, she quickly drew back, scowling.

            "But you can't be Redsplash." The otter said.

            "And why not?"

            "You don't look like her."

            Redsplash scowled, about to snap out a very rude reply, when she suddenly saw her reflection in a puddle of murky water. He was right. She _didn't_ look like herself. In fact, her fur was died black and one of her ears had been pierced. 

            "I'm gonna kill 'em." She vowed. "They made me look like a damn Tribe of Darkness member!"

            "Lovely manner's she's got, Havoc." Said a lithe looking squirrel as he walked over.

            "Well, the stories did say she wasn't the nicest person." The otter, Havoc, replied.

            "Excuse me." Redsplash said, "What stories and how come you're called '_Havoc'_ I mean, _I_ could come up with a better name than that? Was your mother just-"

            "My mother was killed a second after I was born." Havoc said with a twisted, cold smile, "By my father."

            Redsplash blinked at him, momentarily stunned into silence.

            "And there are all kinds of stories about you." The squirrel put in, "You're the local hero."

            "I had better not be!" Redsplash said, "I _hate_ heroes."

            "Well, just listen to that. She hates us both." The squirrel said, his grin widening.

            Havoc glanced at him. "Since when have _you_ been a hero?"

            "Oh, I found I have all the attributes of one. Brute strength, quick wit, incredible reflexes, an amazingly strict code of honor, and dashing good looks." The squirrel said, striking a pose he must have thought to be heroic.

            Redsplash blinked at him, "Are you crazy?" she asked, not at all sarcastic. She really wanted to know if he was.

            "Not as crazy as the Saneless One if that's what you're asking." The squirrel replied.

            "The Saneless One?" Redsplash asked, blinking.

            "It's me nickname for the Nameless One."

            "Oh." Redsplash said, trying to hide her confusion.

            "The ferret got his son back. So we probably won't have to work tomorrow." The squirrel said to Havoc.

            "What?" Redsplash asked, paws clenching into fists. Fatefiend was back in his father's clutches? 

            "Oh, yes. Arrived this morning…about the same time you did." The squirrel said. 

            "How did you get here, anyway?" Havoc asked, "If they caught you, why didn't they just sell you to the Nameless One? Why go to the trouble of changing your appearance and then throwing you in here?"

            "I'm guessing Darkclaw put me in here. He probably wanted to see how many days it would take before I was figured out. The bastard." 

            "Who's Darkclaw?" the squirrel asked.

            "Who are _you_?" Redsplash returned.

            "Adan." The squirrel replied. "Now, who's Darkclaw?"

            "A wildcat." Redsplash said, "A meat eating, sadistic, bastard wildcat."

            "Ah. I see." Havoc said.

            "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go break out of this place." Redsplash said, turned, and walked towards the door of the slave pit. As she had expected, since her absence the Nameless One had changed the lock back to an easier one to pick. Good. 

            "Where would you go, though? The guards patrol the walls. There is no way out of this castle." Havoc said from right behind her.

            Redsplash glanced at him, impressed that he'd managed to sneak up behind her. "I don't plan to go out. I need to make sure Fatefiend's alive."

            "You're going to run the risk of being discovered by the Nameless One…for a _ferret_?" Adan demanded.

            Redsplash rolled her eyes, finishing her work on the lock. Fatefiend was the better lock pick, by far, but this lock was so easy it was pathetic. "Stay here." She said, opening the door. Denraid was asleep and would stay that way until late tomorrow morning.

            "I'll go." Havoc said, pushing past her.

            "What? No!" Redsplash said, glaring at him as he tried to push her back into the cage.

            "Look, I'm all white. I look like a ghost. I go for a walk through the halls and the next morning any vermin that saw me is raving about a ghost they saw in the halls. They see you…and all the slaves get called out in the morning. You'd be discovered."

            Redsplash hesitated, scowling. Finally she gave in, "Fine!" she hissed.

            Havoc nodded, shutting the door and making the lock look like it was locked back in place. He turned and left quickly, melting into the darkness surprisingly well for an albino otter.

            "So…if you can open the lock why didn't we just all attack?" Adan asked.

            "Because then we'd all be cut to pieces by the Nameless One's guards."

            "We have weapons."

            "You have inexperienced angry slaves who think they know how to fight." Redsplash returned. "You have nothing but bodies to bury if you try to fight."

            He paused and then shrugged this off. Then his nearly irrepressible smile shimmered to the surface, again, "Would you mind sneaking out and bringing back some food?" he asked innocently.

            Redsplash stared at him and sighed. This was going to be a very long night. 


	9. Chapter Nine

            (Okay, yet another chapter I've got up. This isn't the greatest chapter in the story, probably because of all the flashbacks. Anyway, I _did_ get everything I needed in though…I think. I've come up with an ending that doesn't involve a massive explosion, though it's not much better…and I'm really, really sorry for taking forever getting this up. From now on I'll have all the chapters up a lot sooner though, unless my life gets hectic once _again_. Only three more chapters to go.)

The sunrise was mainly a blood red. The Ghost watched it from the deck of his ship, his paws clenched as he watched the sun come into the sky. The bloody theme of the sunrise mirrored his life quite well. Except his life was not just beginning. If anything, it was ending.

            His brief trip over the sea was coming to an end. He could see the land on the horizon. He wasn't sure how he felt right now. Once he landed he would be closer to finishing his task, but he loved the sea. He turned his back on the land, looking out at the sea he had been traveling on for a day now. Only a day. He already knew very well that he didn't want to leave. But he would, because he had to find Redsplash. And Brighteye. Had to find the two of them, and soon. 

            He needed to change his name, also. Ghost was becoming too familiar, as Slayer and Slay had before that. Beasts were beginning to connect the three otters, and his reputation was growing. He hadn't wanted to be a hero. He had only wanted to do the right thing. Now, though, he was beginning to feel confined by the role he had taken on. Still, it was worth it, because, eventually, he would get his revenge on the one that had killed nearly all of his kin. The Nameless Bastard would pay for what he had done. That damned ferret would regret letting him live, even if there was no way the ferret could have known the otter had survived. 

            Ghost turned away from those thoughts and set to coming up with a new name. Others had given him the names Slay, Slayer, and Ghost, but now any strange otter whose fighting abilities were too powerful was asked if they were the famous 'Ghost'. And Ghost would never lie. Not anymore. Not again. So he needed a new name to call himself. He cringed away from the idea of using his real name, knowing better than to attract attention to himself that way. The Nameless One would be hunting him down in days, and Ghost needed the element of surprise if he was going to ever get close enough to plant a dagger in the ferret's heart.

            Fallen…that could work. It was, after all, what his mother had in mind when she gave him his real name. Fallen from what? Fallen from grace? How ironic and fitting _that_ was. He shook his head, his lips twisting into a derisive smile. Fallen it was. He turned away from the sea and carefully directed his boat until it came to a complete stop, the shore reaching up to greet it and to stop its journey. Fallen climbed out of his small shrew-built craft and began to haul it up onto the shore. He would hide it somewhere so that it wouldn't be stolen before the sunrise had even finished its show. And then? Then he would find someone to tell him what they had heard of Redsplash the otter.

            Fallen finished dragging the craft up onto the shore and hiding it, and then looked around, a frown on his normally emotionless features. He remembered this land very well. This land had once been about to be his. But then the Nameless Bastard had come along and had stolen it all. The ferret had killed his people, ruined his lands, and was terrorizing everything and everyone within his reaches. And Fallen would put a stop to the ferret's life. Or the ferret would put a stop to his, and right now Fallen wasn't sure if he cared which happened. 

            Havoc walked confidently along the halls. Two rats and a weasel, all three of which had turned and sprinted away, had already spotted him. It surprised him how stupid the guards in the Nameless One's castle were. They knew an albino otter was a slave here, and still they ran from the 'ghost' in the hallways. Havoc knew where the torture chamber was. He knew how to get there almost as well as he knew how to get back to the slave's cell. He had been brought in a day and a half after Redsplash's second escape from the Nameless One. Being an otter at that time hadn't been a very good idea. For a while Havoc had _lived_ in the torture chamber. He hadn't seen the sky for five days when he was finally brought out again.

            Havoc's deep hatred for slavery had reminded the Unnamed One a bit too much of Redsplash's rebellious attitude. Havoc had paid for Redsplash's escape with blood and broken bones. It had been worth it, though, because now that the slaves saw him as another, more traditional, hero, they would follow him to the Dark Forest's Gates and back…if he brought them down that path. So far being the leader of this band of slaves had only gotten him a few extra bruises, but given another month or so and he could, perhaps, have a real rebellion. The problem was that he didn't have enough warriors. Redsplash, though, _she_ was a warrior. But she didn't seem interested in helping free the slaves, and Havoc wouldn't force her or even try to convince her. Redsplash had had a hard enough life, if even a quarter of the rumors were true. She deserved a bit of happiness, at least.

            And that was why he was wandering back towards the torture chamber, one of the few places he normally would absolutely _refuse_ to go. His blood stained those walls. But the ferret's son was in there now. And the Nameless One was asleep, because the ferret never tortured after dark. The screams from the torture chamber kept his minions up all night, and he only tortured at night when his army was getting too rebellious. Not that his minions were ever rebellions. No, not anymore. They acted like slaves themselves, terrified of acting out. What would a ferret have to do to inspire that much fear? Havoc didn't know, but he had a good enough idea to know that he didn't _want_ to.

            He reached the torture chamber and pulled open the doors, careful to make no noise. The sight that greeted him was gruesome, but not all that shocking. The ferret's son was laid out on the rock Havoc remembered well, paws chained so they would be useless. Fatefiend, though, had obviously fought so hard to get at his father that not only had he torn the skin on his wrists, but he had also snapped his left shoulder out of joint. His other arm was useless as well, broken and shredded. The ferret was awake, but stared lifelessly at the ceiling, eyes dazed and blank. His left leg was broken, his right looking half-skinned from the numerous cuts. The only thing that showed he was still alive was the erratic, forced, movement of his chest as he breathed in and out, paying for each breath with a stab of pain from his ribs, many of which had been broken.

            The worst thing, though, was the slab of rock, the boulder itself. It had been created so that the boulder, if the boulder weren't locked in place, would, thanks to the slant of the room, roll forward. Of course, it rolled forward so slowly that the prisoner had an hour to think about what would happen before the crushing actually started. Then the boulder slowed down even more, and rolled in such a way that the last thing to crush was the head. From the time the foot paws started to crush to the time the boulder had worked its way up to the knees, about two hours passed. Havoc doubted, though, that Fatefiend would last more then a few more hours. The ferret was loosing too much blood.

            The ferret's son was fully aware of this, but didn't complain or even speak, even after his eyes flickered to Havoc and then back to the ceiling. Havoc stepped forward uncertainly, "Fatefiend?" he asked hesitantly.

            "I'm dying. Go away." Fatefiend said, voice rough. Apparently he had been half strangled, too.

            "Redsplash sent me…"

            Fatefiend's eyes slid back over to him and then closed. "Don't tell her." He said, "Tell her I'm fine. Don't tell her I'm…dying. She would never understand a weakness like this."

            "I have to tell her." Havoc said.

            "Do not." Fatefiend replied. His comment childish but annoyed.

            "You shouldn't have to die like this." Havoc said, "No one should."

            Fatefiend opened one eye and gave him a long look, "You're one of the heroic otters Redsplash and I always made fun off. Ironic, don't you think, that the last beast I'll ever talk to will be the type I always made fun of?"

            Havoc shook his head and backed away, "I'm going to tell Redsplash." He said.

            "If you really value the innocent creature's lives you won't." Fatefiend replied, "She'll kill you all."

            "She won't." Havoc said, turned, and ran out of the chamber. 

            Darkclaw sat across from Bloodrise, watching her tear into the meat. He hadn't bothered telling her what creature he'd gotten the meat from, and she didn't care. It was surprising, though, considering she had always been a vegetarian. He watched her finish her food and then look up at him, "We have to break Havoc out." She said.

            "Who?"

            "He's an otter. He saved me."

            "It seems we all have our problems with otters." Darkclaw murmured.

            "What?" Bloodrise said, glancing up at him. "What do you mean?"

            "What happened to your accent?" Darkclaw asked, avoiding the subject.

            She blinked at him, "What do you mean?"

            "Your accent. It's gone."

            "So is yours."

            "Mine was never very pronounced. I only need it back at the castle. Here I don't use it. You…when did you lose yours?"

            "You mean how I used to say 'ye' instead of 'you' and the like? Well," she looked away, baring her teeth in a snarl, "I lost that the first day I was here. Our accents annoy the ferret."

            Darkclaw scowled. "We can't kill the ferret." He said, "Not now. We don't have the numbers."

            "We have to at least get Havoc out. Adan too, if it's possible."

            "And who's Adan?"

            "A squirrel. They're both fearless, Dark. They…could be used, maybe." She sounded like she hated that last sentence. Good. Darkclaw didn't want to have to worry about a possible betrayal coming from his younger sister when they got back to the north. Bluefang was already bad enough.

            "Fearless? I doubt it. Everyone fears _something_."

            "Well…Adan might, but he doesn't show it. Havoc isn't natural, though. It's like he's a really oddly shaped wildcat."

            Darkclaw rolled his eyes, "I wonder how he and Redsplash will get along…" he muttered.

            "What?"

            "Nothing. Look. We have to get the ferret's son and an otter slave out. If you want to try to get Havoc out, that's fine. Kael and I will be going in an hour."

            "I'm coming."

            "All right, but if you get captured again, I'm not saving you twice."

            Bloodrise looked up at him and bared her teeth in a snarl before answering, "I don't plan on getting captured ever again."

            "For the _last_ time, squirrel!" Redsplash bellowed, "I will _not_ go out and steal you some food!"

            Adan looked hurt, "Well, fine." He said, his tone wounded, "You just had to say so…you didn't have to yell."

            Redsplash sighed in annoyance and turned her back on him. She knew in a few more minutes he would be cheerfully and subtly suggesting she go steal food again. Havoc had been gone at the most an hour, but those sixty minutes had been long and aggravating.

            She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, resting briefly. To her surprise Adan didn't try to bother her, but seemed content to stay silent for a while. The other slaves were all asleep, some crying out as their dreams turned dark, and some sleeping like they were so close to dead they could hardly drag up the energy to dream at all. Redsplash, though, wouldn't sleep. She would stay up the entire night if she had too. She would not go to sleep until she knew what had become of Fatefiend.

            Her mind, tired but still sharp, drifted back through her life. It shifted through memories, shoving aside those of no importance and dancing around the one Redsplash refused to think about. It settled on one memory and dragged it up.

            _"They say the ferret only has one child. A son." The whisper found its way to Redsplash's ear as she lay on the ground, staring up at the roof of the slave holding cell. Her eyes drifted towards the whisperer. The old mouse was talking to a strong, brave looking squirrel and a younger, frightened one who clutched at the other ones paw with the determination of someone not planning to ever let go._

_            "And what about it?" asked the older squirrel, smiling down at the younger squirrel and giving her a reassuring wink. The small squirrel swallowed and offered a shaky smile back. Redsplash recognized the two as siblings and looked away, not wanting to remember her own sibling._

_            "The ferret's son arrived today." The mouse said, his voice shaky with age. Redsplash wondered if she should warn the young male squirrel that had arrived just two days ago that the mouse was manipulative and backstabbing, probably trying to trick the squirrel into doing something wrong so he could go running to the guards. She decided against it and tried to get some sleep._

_            "And why does this matter to me?" the squirrel asked. Redsplash closed her eyes tighter, trying to drown out the conversation._

_            "Because if you kill the ferret, then the son will take his place. And the son is worse then the father, child. Reared in **that** one's house, what else can you expect?"_

            "So, what are you trying to get at, old one? Do you want me to kill the son? Is that it?"

_            "It is merely a suggestion. There is already one who would kill the Nameless One. She has a true chance of doing it, too. There is merely the matter of getting the son out of the way so that she would be motivated to attempt the killing." The old man said and Redsplash's eyes snapped open._

_            "She? Who do you speak of?"_

_            "An otter. No older then you. Younger perhaps. But she is deadly and she is angry. She will take the Nameless One to the grave with her." Redsplash rolled her eyes at the mouse's words. She would have to hit him a few times with a heavy rock for making her sound so much like the heroes she despised._

_            "Perhaps **she** should kill the son and **I **should kill the father."_

_            "No, no, child. The otter is the only one who stands a chance. She's as evil as otters get, and she's willing to kill anyone that gets in her way to get what she wants."_

_            "Ah. So…" the squirrel let out a breath, "If I kill the son, she will kill the father and we will be free?"_

_            "Yes."_

_            "How do I get out of here?"_

_            "I know of a way…come and I will show you."_

_            "**No**!" the strangled voice made Redsplash glance back over that way. The older squirrel had tried to move and the younger sister was holding onto his arm with more determination then ever not to let go._

            "Skydance let go of me. I have to go, but I'll be back. I promised to take care of you, and I'll do that. But to do that you have to let go of me for a while, all right?"

_            "But…but what if you don't come back?" she said, staring up at him in worry._

_            "I will." He said confidently. "Now let go."_

_            She let go, stepping back in a daze. The mouse led the older squirrel off and Redsplash sat up. "You might want to get some sleep." Redsplash said, quietly. "You'll need it tomorrow."_

_            "Who are you?" the squirrel demanded, sticking out her chin and glaring._

_            Redsplash smiled softly, "You'll find out soon enough."_

_            The next morning the slaves were dragged out to witness the decapitation of Skydance's older brother. The squirrel maid had to be held back by two of the strongest of the Nameless One's henchmen, her grief and anger driving her into a half-crazed state. The unknown squirrel walked calmly, ignoring everything around him. He paused for a moment to say something to the newly arrived ferret prince. Redsplash thought it was an insult, but the ferret only nodded and looked away, mouth twisting into a grimace as his eyes fell on his father's face._

_            After the decapitation, the Nameless One, in a particularly bloodthirsty mood, suggested amiably that Skydance be killed also. The ferret prince, sitting next to his father, muttered something to him and the Nameless One scowled. They proceeded to talk back and forth for several minutes, in what Redsplash suspected to be an argument, and then the Nameless One laughed and nodded. The guards that had been dragging the now berserk female squirrel to the guillotine were told to stop, and all the slaves were herded back into the slave cell._

            Three days later Redsplash was attempting to pop her dislocated right shoulder back into place with her teeth, as her limbs were so well chained up that Redsplash could barely even move her chin, when the door creaked open. She continued what she was doing, assuming it was Defarlan, the idiot fox.

_            "Well, that's a rather stupid way to try to help yourself heal." Came a confident, if slightly surprised voice. A voice Redsplash did not recognize._

_            She glanced towards the voice with one eye then turned her face towards the ferret. He was wearing a black mask that covered the upper part of his face, with golden decorations meaning 'Knowledge', 'Deceit', and 'Darkness' painted on it. He was tall for a ferret, and about her age. He was more lithe then muscular, and the only weapon he carried was a dagger at his waist._

_            "Nice mask." Redsplash said, arrogantly, "Did the Nameless One make you wear it when he saw how hideous you are?"_

_            "No, actually." The ferret youth said and moved forward, getting within biting rang. Redsplash snapped her neck out and, growling, tried to bite him. He jumped backwards, narrowly missing getting his arm bitten. "Well." He said, "What a way of making friends **you've**_ _got."_

_            "I don't have friends." Redsplash hissed._

_            "Well, no wonder with **that** attitude." He said with a smirk, "Now, look, I'm going to get your shoulder back into place, and if you bite me I swear I'll bite you back." He bared pointed, sharp fangs to emphasize his threat._

_            "Bitten by a ferret…now **that** would be embarrassing."_

_            "Yes. It would. So don't bite me first."_

_            The ferret dodged forward quickly, popping the bone back into place. Redsplash hissed at the pain, glaring at the ferret as he danced back. "You have the clumsiness of a **rat**!" she snapped, "**I** could have done that better."_

_            "Excuse me, my dear otter slave, I had no idea you were so sensitive to pain."_

_            "You little idiot! Come here, I wanna rip your eyes out."_

_            "With what? You're chained up, remember?"_

_            "My teeth!"_

_            "Well, that would sting a bit. And what happens if you accidentally swallow my eyes? That would be uncomfortable. For both of us. No, I think I'll stay where I am, but thank you for the offer."_

_            "Offer? What offer? And what do you mean 'thank you'? I'm **confused**!"_

_            "Well, considering the amount of brains you've shown so far I wouldn't think that would be such a new experience that you would have to shout about it."_

_            "I think I'll kill you now."_

_            "I think you won't."_

_            "And what makes you so confident?"_

_            "Several yards of chains and about a dozen locks."_

_            "Well, at least **I'm** not ugly!"_

_            "Oh, yes, that hurt. How can you call my ugly? You haven't even seen my face! I have dashing good looks under this mask!"_

_            "Uh-huh, I bet you do."_

_            "Oh, lovely. Sarcasm. Well, we'll just see…as soon as I can get…this mask…off…"_

_            "Need some help?"_

_            "Oh, be quiet. There!"_

_            …_

_            "What do you say to **that** otter?"_

_            "You're the Nameless One's son…"_

_            "Oh…uh…you weren't supposed to notice that…"_

_            "I'm sorry for yelling at you."_

_            "Great, otter, so now you're trying to be my friend so you can get at my father. Well, I don't think so. Goodbye."_

_            "Redsplash! Redsplash! Come quick!"_

_            "What is it **now**, Skydance? I was happily sitting here staring at the wall before you came along, you know."_

_            "There's a **ferret** that just got tossed in here! It's the Nameless One's **son**! They're all gonna kill him! Wanna watch? Redsplash! Where are you going? Wait for me!"_

_            "We're gonna kill you, ferret."_

_            "Heard it all before."_

_            "We're gonna rip out your eyes and eat them."_

_            "Are all you slaves obsessed with eyes? **Ow**! You just **bit** my arm!"_

_            "Yes…"_

_            "**Ow!** That is my own **personal** rib you just broke, dolt!"_

_            "Leave him alone, idiots. If you're gonna be brave, do it when you can get something out of it. Like food."_

_            "Of all the beasts here, Redsplash, I would think that **you** would be the last one to complain about killing the ferret's son."_

_            "I'm not complaining. I'm stopping it. I don't feel like cleaning up the mess his guts will make. Now go away and get some sleep."_

_            "Fine! But you'll regret this later."_

_            "If you weren't a mouse, idiot, I would probably care about your threats. As it is…"_

_            "Fine! I'll go!"_

_            …_

_            "Otter…are you aware you just saved me?"_

_            "Oh, please, it's not a big thing. Like I told the mouse, I only did it because I didn't want to scrape your intestines off the floor."_

_            "Redsplash, you're my only friend!"_

_            "I'm **not** your friend!"_

_            "And since you're my only friend I think I'll sneak you some wine. What do you say to **that**, huh?"_

_            "Ferret, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship." _

            Redsplash smiled lightly as she remembered how that promise of  "some wine" had ended in Redsplash and Fatefiend on their third bottle of powerful wine when they heard the guards coming down the corridor. They had tried to hide in the rafters, but hadn't, for some reason, managed to stay balanced. Redsplash remembered her life back then. Between training Skydance to fight and talking to Fatefiend when she was supposed to be resting, there hadn't been as much time to bully the other slaves. No wonder they had started to think of her as a hero. She hadn't had enough energy to prove she wasn't one. 

            Suddenly Havoc ducked into the slave cell and hurried over to Redsplash. He looked alarmed and haunted, his sprint turning into a jog and then a walk, as he got closer. Dread, something Redsplash hadn't felt for a long time, settled into the bottom of her stomach. "Redsplash…" he started.

            "I _hate_ suspense. Get it over with. He's dead, isn't he?" Redsplash hesitated at the words. Fatefiend…dead. A sudden feeling like a buzz in the back of her mind distracted her, but Havoc was preparing to say something and she had to concentrate on him. 

            "No…he's not dead. Look, Redsplash. He's dying. He'll be crushed to death soon, if he doesn't bleed out first or if his lungs don't give. He'll be dead by morning."

            _"Red! Get down from there!"_

            "It's only a tree, ferret."

_            "It's not natural for an **otter** to be up a tree! Get down here!"_

_            "Down? Why? Come on Fate, climb for once."_

_            "I refuse."_

_            "Coward."_

_            "Right, but at least I'll be a **live** coward when you're dead, Oh Brave One."_

            The buzz increased to a roar and Redsplash clutched at her head, the pain excruciating.

            _"Redsplash, Fatefiend has gone crazy."_

            "He only wants attention. Ignore him." 

            _"He's trying to swim."_

_            "Really? How interesting. Can't you see I'm busy?"_

_            "Uh…Red…he really can't swim."_

_            "Imagine that."_

_            "Uh, Red, he's been under for a pretty long time now…don't you think?"_

_            "Oh, **hell** he's still down there?!"_

_            "Uh…yes…"_

_            "Well, why didn't you pull him out?"_

_            "Uh, I'm a **squirrel**, I don't swim!"_

Havoc was trying to say something, and Adan was trying to help her, but Redsplash couldn't think…couldn't hear…could barely see…and the roaring hurt so much.

            _"I don't have friends, Fate. I told you that."_

_            "Oh, come on. You need friends, it's a part of life."_

_            "I'm doing fine without them."_

_            "Well you only need one."_

            "You, I suppose."

            "Of course. I do, after all, have access to wine."

            "Lots of wine. Yes. I know. But I don't have friends. Don't need them."

_            "Uh-huh. Well, Red, when you're willing to get over your incredibly high opinion of yourself, come find me."_

_            "What? What does **that**__mean, Fate?"_

            "It means, Red, that maybe I'll talk to you again someday."

            "You can't mean that. You aren't going to just…leave."

_            "I don't see why it should matter. You can always talk to Skydance."_

_            "Is this about the whole friend thing? Fine. You're my friend, if it's so important to you."_

_            "Uh-huh. Is that a note of panic I detect in your voice?"_

_            "I don't panic. And what were you threatening to leave for anyway?"_

_            "To show you that you really **do** need friends."_

_            "Well, you failed."_

_            "You two are crazy. I mean it. **Insane**."_

            "Shut up, Sky."

_"So, Fate, how long you think it's gonna be before Darkclaw gets us killed?" _

            "Oh, I dunno…couple days at least."

_            "Really? I was betting a week. At least. Or…it'll take then at least one week to kill me."_

_            "Are you kidding? My father's gonna take months to kill you. Me he'll kill in a week or two."_

_            "No, see, I'll **let** myself die in a week or two."_

_            "Oh. Right. Like you have control over when you die."_

_            "I do."_

_            "Then die. Now." _

            "I'd rather not, thank you."

            Redsplash rose to her feet with a roar. Adan stepped in front of her and she shoved him out of the way. She ran forward and _tore_ the door of the slave cell off and staggered out into the dark, headed towards the torture chamber.

            "Were her eyes…_red_?" Adan demanded as he pulled himself to his feet.

            "Yes." Havoc said solemnly.

            "But…what does that mean?"

            "I don't know."

            "Bloodwrath? Could she have the bloodwrath?"

            "Only badgers have that."

            "But her eye were _red_."

            Suddenly a terrified scream filled the air, cut short almost immediately. A roar of fury immediately followed the scream.

            "We've gotta stop her." Havoc said, taking off after the otter.

            "Stop her?" Adan said, staring after Havoc with an expression of shock on his features, "_Why_?" 

                        (I know, I know. Otters can't get the bloodwrath, but Redsplash did…so…yeah. If you've got a huge problem with it you can just pretend she just got really, really mad and put in red contacts…though where she got the contacts from I don't know…)


	10. Chapter Ten

            (Well…this is the tenth chapter, which means there are only two more chapters to go before this story is over. Yes, yes, I know, I'm taking forever to update, but this isn't the only story I'm working on. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, though, and it'll probably be longer then this one is. That chapter will be easier to write then this one was, I hope. In case anyone wanted to know, I'm thinking about putting up another Redwall fic…and I won't be able to fit Redsplash's past in this story, although there are enough hints scattered around for you to get an idea, I think. There's just not room for the whole thing, and no one Redsplash would _tell_ it to. Maybe I'll just write a sequel or something….beware…

And in response to Acoustical Ferret's question, I came up with this story a couple years ago, when I was really bored. I can't remember what inspired it then…though it probably wasn't anything very interesting anyway.)

Redsplash couldn't think, couldn't feel. It was like she, the real her, the her that could _think was locked off in a prison somewhere, watching this other her from behind bars she couldn't get through. Bars she couldn't get through and bars she wasn't sure she wanted to get past. For the first time in her life, Redsplash was relatively content with being locked up, and that feeling was nowhere near comforting._

Emotions, rage, hate, fear, and sorrow, raced around and around her head, smearing together and making it hard to tell the difference between emotions and thoughts, the little thoughts that she could think anyway. She walked quickly, her walk bordering on a run, but she couldn't run. Because there was a voice in the back of her head _screaming above the roar of her emotions for her to turn around and run away. And that voice was the voice she had always listened to in times like this. But right now, when it was Fate that was about to die, she couldn't do the thing she normally could, and normally _wanted_ to do. She couldn't turn around and let him die, keeping herself safe, and that thought added to the confusion, sending her logic spiraling down and down until it was drowned beneath her hatred._

            A repulsively fat, confused looking rat armed with a spear and a short sword got in her way, and she grabbed him by the throat, throwing him towards the wall of what she thought might have been the barracks. The rat had time to scream for about a second before he hit the wall and the impact drove all the air from his body. Redsplash lunged forward, grabbed both sides of his face and _twisted_, snapping his neck far more easily then she ever could before. Redsplash, angry and beginning to loose the little common sense she could still use, roared in fury, furious at everything because nothing was right, _nothing_ made sense. A single torch flared, followed by several more as the sleeping vermin in the soldier's barracks woke, frightened out of their dreams by the screams. Another rat poked his head out and Redsplash, picking up a large rock from the ground, smashed the rat's head open as easily as she could smash an egg open. Brains and blood sprayed everywhere, and Redsplash twitched, not wanting to know what had just landed on her arm, just quickly shaking it off. A tall stoat, nearly hysterical due to the sight of a furious otter with red eyes drenched in gore, closed the heavy door quickly and locked it, starting to barricade it with anything he could find. Redsplash stared at the building, waiting numbly for more vermin to appear.

            "They've locked themselves in." A quiet, cautious, voice said from her right. Redsplash whirled, and the male squirrel standing there only missed being killed because he ducked. He had excellent reflexes…for a squirrel, Redsplash noticed numbly. 

            "Calm down, Redsplash. We aren't the enemy here." Came another voice. Redsplash staggered backwards, staring at the squirrel and the white otter in suspicion. She could not kill them; her barely working mind rebelled against that idea. But they were in her way. Well, she would just have to remedy that. 

            Redsplash stalked forward quickly, shoving the two creatures out of her way. The squirrel went flying through the air, flipped, and landed expertly on his feet, looking only annoyed, not at all shocked. The otter flew around a foot and then slammed into the ground, growled, and jumped to his feet again. Redsplash shook her head, not sure who these beasts were, but wishing she could just kill them, and sprinted away. 

            "I think she has made it clear that she does not want our help!" Adan snapped as Havoc started moving after her.

            "She was never entirely sane to begin with, now she's gone completely crazy. We have to stop her before she kills someone innocent!" Havoc hissed and ran after Redsplash.

            "I somehow doubt she's the _only crazy one!" Adan shouted after the completely white otter and then rushed quickly after him._

            The Nameless One had been awakened by the first scream. Rather then being alarmed by the noise he had been annoyed, used to screaming as he was. After rolling out of his bed and tugging on a red tunic, so that the blood he would shed as punishment for waking him up would not ruin the tunic, he had wandered to his window just in time to see Redsplash crack a rat's skull wide open. He had not been afraid then, and he was not afraid now. Redsplash was strong, for an otter, but doubted very seriously that she could kill him, even in the bloodthirsty state she was in now. Perhaps, if it came to actual physical combat, the female otter could have a chance at killing him, but the Nameless One had not become the leader of his armies because of his cruelty and intelligence, or not totally because of that, anyway. The Unnamed One had conquered these idiotic vermin with not only his intelligence, but with his fighting skills, which had yet to diminish. At any given time he could kill any of the beasts in his army, and that was not bragging. Of course, any creature in his armies that had ever had both the skill and the intelligence to have a chance at killing him, had all died in unfortunate accidents, which everyone knew weren't really accidents. 

The Nameless One walked silently through the halls.  He did not even have to think about making his steps silent. Some skills he had mastered back when he was an assassin were too valuable for him to forget. His bow was clutched carefully in one paw, an arrow in the other. He heard a scream of a guard cut short with a disgusting sound that normally accompanied someone being gutted and pressed against the wall, taking a silent, deep breath. He glanced quickly around the corner and saw Redsplash, pursued by a squirrel and that damned albino otter, Havoc, steeping away from the gutted corpse of one of the guards. The Unnamed One glanced down at the bow, checking the arrow. A brief scowl of annoyance crossed his face as he noticed what type of arrow it was. The poison on this arrow was a strange one that the Nameless One rarely used, as it had the oddest habit of healing as it killed, giving the creature that had been wounded several hours of life instead of less then five seconds as his other poisoned arrows did. Still, he did not have the time to go get another arrow and, if Redsplash stuck to her normal pattern of behavior, after being wounded she would mope around and bleed to death rather then do anything useful.

The Nameless One changed his grip on the bow, took another breath, and lunged out from behind the wall, his eyes concentrating on the otter as he prepared to fire the arrow.

            Redsplash tore the guts from the ferret guard who had gotten in her way; ending his scream with a gurgling sound that brought a happy, if rather blank, smile to her face. She had successfully gotten away from the squirrel and otter, losing them as she raced through the hallways and through doorways, and, effectively, loosing herself too. She had started out just running, looking for something to kill and, though she couldn't be completely sure, she was pretty sure she was beginning to remember who _exactly_ she was after. A tall, evil ferret that had committed some crime Redsplash didn't remember, but knew had been bad and should be fixed as soon as possible. She could not, as hard as she tried, remember what the ferret's name was.

            And then, so suddenly Redsplash only had time to blink in surprise, the ferret she had been hunting jumped out from behind the corner she had been about to turn and fired an arrow. Time slowed down to an amazingly sluggish crawl, though Redsplash couldn't move. Her mind, though, was jumping all over the place as her memory came flooding back. She was an idiot. The torture chamber Fatefiend was in was not even this way. The torture chamber and Fatefiend were back down the hallway she had just come through. The Nameless One's arrows were almost always poisoned. Fatefiend would die because of this. Hopefully Adan and Havoc would have the sense to get back into their cage and hide there. The last thing Redsplash needed right now was to have to deal with _them_ while she was dying. The arrow would miss her heart. Hit right between her ribs. Lovely.

            Just before the arrow would have gotten within her paws' reach, time speed back up again and a white blur appeared in front of her, and flew out of her field of vision. The arrow had disappeared. It was in the white blur, and the white blur was Havoc. The Nameless One muttered a curse, turned, and fled down the hallway. Redsplash hesitated, knowing Fatefiend was dying in one direction and her enemy was going in another. 

            "Go save your friend!" Adan said, interrupting her decisions. He sounded bitter as he kneeled beside Havoc, staring at the arrow that had gone into his albino friend's stomach. "And I'll try to save mine." He muttered, definitely bitter now.

            Redsplash staggered backwards, looking at Havoc in shocked confusion. The albino otter met her gaze and Redsplash, not wanting to look at him any longer, turned, and sprinted quickly down the hallway. She heard her paws hitting the cold stone, but didn't feel it. She hardly felt anything. The only thing she could feel was the insistent beating of her heart. Her heart that was beating so fast she could barely tell where one beat ended and another began.

            Kael was crouched at the eastern corner of the camp, perched on a large rock, sharpening one of his many daggers calmly and carefully. Darkclaw appeared out of the shadows, looking around with a deep frown on his features. It was a very cloudy night, the clouds blocking out the full moon completely. It was also getting cold, at least for the part of the world they were in. Darkclaw was used to far colder temperatures, so he barely noticed the plummeting temperature. Darkclaw's broadsword had been carefully cleaned the hour before dawn, and would, in all probability, be soaked in blood before dawn.

            "We leave in five minutes." Darkclaw informed the weasel, the wildcat's glowing eyes scanning the darkness repeatedly, as if he expected an attack.

            "We could leave now." Kael replied calmly.

            "We aren't going to." Darkclaw said sharply, turning his gaze back on the weasel.

            "Explain something to me." Kael said, his gaze sharp now as he examined the dagger carefully.

            "I rarely share what I know, Kael."

            "Hmm." The weasel said.

            Darkclaw gazed down at him thoughtfully, wondering if the weasel had finally grown to dangerous to allow to live, "What did you want to know?"

            Kael glanced up at him, "Nothing." He replied carefully.

            Darkclaw rolled his eyes, "Let's go."

            "I thought we were going to wait for your sister." Kael said, glancing around as he searched for her in the darkness.

            "My sister, weasel, won't be waking up for at least a day."

            "I was wondering if you'd do that." Kael answered quietly.

            "Just because she is angry doesn't mean she can fight. She would only slow us down, or get us killed."

            Kael nodded, standing up. He had seven daggers currently, at least three of which he had obviously stolen off of the members of the Tribe of Darkness, because they still bore the Tribe's insignia. He didn't have his sword, trading it in for a bow and quiver of arrows, also bearing the Tribe of Darkness' symbol.

            Kael noticed that Darkclaw was looking at the insignia on one of the daggers and shrugged, "One of her squirrels killed one of my weasels. We've been stealing everything we can from them ever since…which was around half a day ago."

            "If Zariel finds out, she'll start killing."

            "If any of my creatures are weak enough to be killed by a pampered bratty squirrel, then they shouldn't be allowed to live anyway." Kael said with a shrug.

            Darkclaw smirked, "We should leave now."

            "Then by all means, great and terrible Warheart Prince, lead on." Kael said with an exaggerated bow.

            Darkclaw paused, his eyes meeting Kael's. The weasel drew back slightly at the anger in Darkclaw's eyes and then glanced down at the ground, frowning. Darkclaw turned and left quickly, the weasel following him stealthily.

            Fallen watched the wildcat and the weasel carefully, eyes narrowed. He had been told that the wildcat knew the location of Redsplash, from a hawk who seemed to find the whole situation highly amusing. They were going somewhere, and Fallen wasn't sure where. Well, that wasn't exactly true. He knew where they were going; he just didn't want to think about it. Fallen hated the Nameless One, and knew better then to risk his life by going near the ferret's residence. If the wildcat and weasel were stupid enough to actually go _in_ the castle, Fallen would wait for them outside. They knew something about Redsplash that he didn't, and Fallen would find out what they knew. He had to.

            Fallen jumped soundlessly out of the tree and hurried quietly after them. He despised climbing trees, as he got sick if he went up to high, but climbing trees had become a more and more helpful habit over the years, even if it still made him sick occasionally. Fallen knew the weasel had seen him. It was a disconcerting thought, but the weasel didn't seem too interested in telling the wildcat. Fallen didn't like to have to rely on the disloyalty among vermin, but he had relied on it before. It, unlike so many other things, had yet to let him down.

            "I thought you could pick any lock." Darkclaw said dryly as he leaned against the stone doorway, watching Kael battle with the lock.

            "I can." Kael said, "Just give me time."

            "Time." Darkclaw said and suddenly something inside the castle screamed. The wildcat straightened, frowning. "Time is something we're obviously running out of."

            "Hold on…" Kael said and frowned, "One more…" he murmured and then there was an audible click. Kael stood back, about to say something, when Darkclaw shoved the door open.

            "Come on weasel," Darkclaw said, "I don't think Redsplash is in the slave cell anymore."

            Redsplash didn't know how long she had been standing there, but, eventually, she knew she had to move. She wasn't sure what was wrong, exactly, but there was something weird going on here…Fatefiend normally whimpered and screamed when he bleed even a drop, but there he was, bleeding to death and probably barely even able to think because of the pain, and looking…looking…_peaceful. He looked calm, as if he wasn't bothered at all. Maybe the reason Redsplash was unable to move was because she was afraid he was dead._

            She moved forward slowly and then reached out and poked him in the forehead. One eye slid open and then closed.

            "Damn idiot white otter…" he muttered weakly.

            Redsplash didn't know why Fatefiend was damning Havoc, and really didn't care. She was trying to identify the feeling in her stomach. It was…maybe happiness? No, something different. Redsplash searched her mind and then nodded resolutely, it was annoyed happiness. "You idiot." Redsplash snapped, "You almost got yourself killed."

            Fatefiend closed eyes again, "Goodnight, Red." He said.

            "No, no, no." Redsplash, said quickly, "Stay awake."

            "But I'm _tired_." Fatefiend objected tiredly.

            "I don't care." Redsplash said, and grabbed the keys to the manacles around Fatefiend's wrists and ankles off the wall and began to unlock them. "Just keep talking. You love talking."

            "Not…as much…as you." Fatefiend said, half-asleep already.

            "You go to sleep and I'll kill you."

            "I go to sleep and I die." Fatefiend countered, "So you can't kill me."

            "If you know you're going to die," Redsplash said, on the last shackle, "Why do you want to go to sleep?"

            "Because I'm tired, Red. Creatures are supposed to sleep when they're tried."

            "No, you don't. You keep on talking and talking and I never get some sleep."

            "You talk more then I do."

            "Yes, but _I_ have important things to say." Redsplash replied and carefully helped Fatefiend off the rock. "Can you walk?"

            Fatefiend snorted faintly, "Can you fly?" he retorted.

            "Just lean on me, we've got to get out of here."

            "Wonder why…" Fatefiend said thoughtfully, as he threw his paw on Redsplash's shoulders and leaned nearly all his weight on her.

            "Wonder what?" Redsplash asked, grimly starting to move back towards where she had left Havoc. Whatever had happened to her that had made her tear the door off the slave cell and snap a rat's neck had left her drained of nearly all her strength. Redsplash, who was an expert about not thinking about something that made her uncomfortable, stored that incident away to think about later.

            "Darkclaw…" Fatefiend said, obviously barely able to talk, "Why…would…he…?" 

            "Why would he what?" Redsplash said as they started down the hallway that led to Adan and Havoc. Redsplash closed her eyes for a moment, putting one paw carefully in front of the other as she waited for Fatefiend's reply.

            "Why…would he…put…in same…don't…" Fatefiend could hardly think, and it was obvious. Redsplash was amazed he could walk as well as he was, with his legs in the condition that they were.

            Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself within two paces of Havoc, but Adan was missing. Havoc looked at her, his smile strained. "Didn't think you…would come back." He said.

            "This is the way out." Redsplash replied sharply and carefully set Fatefiend down, leaning him against the wall. The ferret needed a rest. "Where's Adan?"

            "He…left." Havoc said, one paw gripping the arrow protruding from his stomach, the other laying on the floor uselessly. 

            "_What_?" Redsplash hissed, "Why?"

            "Said he…heard a…noise." Havoc said, "About two minutes after you left. Never came back."

            Redsplash scowled, furious at the squirrel that had left Havoc to die, although she probably would have done the same thing. In fact, she was considering the same thing. She turned to Fatefiend to find the ferret unconscious, breathing steadily but weakly. "Fate!" Redsplash snapped and slapped the ferret lightly, "Come on, Fate, wake up."

            Fatefiend refused to wake though, and his head lolled uselessly when Redsplash hit it. Blood leaked from his wounds, staining the stone he was laying on. Redsplash frowned, glancing down at herself. She was covered in blood, too. Fatefiend's blood and the vermin's blood. Funny, how she had stopped thinking of Fatefiend as vermin, even though, technically, he was.

            "I think the arrow's poisoned." Havoc said after a moment, "I don't think it hit anything important…it just hurts."

            "Why'd you do that anyway?" Redsplash asked, "Jump out in front of me like that? That was _stupid_. I wouldn't have done it for you."

            "I know…" Havoc said, "But you need to learn something…Redsplash."

            "And what would be so important that I learn that you'd die to teach me it?" Redsplash demanded, annoyed.

            "That you're not as evil…as you think you are."

            Redsplash rolled her eyes, "You're giving a speech when you're _dying_?!" 

            "And dying is such a horrible thing?"

            "Obviously not to _you_!" Redsplash snapped.

            "Why are you so afraid of it?"

            "I'm _not_ afraid of it!" Redsplash argued, "I just don't want it to happen."

            "Understandable. Who…really wants to…die?"

            "Apparently you, if you're so willing to jump in front of arrows."

            "I…didn't want to die, Redsplash. I just wanted you to live."

            "Which is completely confusing."

            "And why…is that?"

            "Because you're a hero, you're supposed to save the world."

            "To save the world you have to save others."

            "Yes, others that will do _good_. Not me."

            "Redsplash…leave me here. Get away and…just never be a slave again, all right? Just go."

            Redsplash fluttered her eyelashes and said, in a mockingly girly voice, "Oh, why _thank_ you!" she dropped her act and glared at him, her voice switching back to its normal way. "I was just _waiting _for your permission to leave, let me assure you."

            Havoc sighed and Redsplash glanced at him. He looked weak, which was something Redsplash should have expected, but still caught her off guard. Redsplash wondered idly how Havoc was captured in the first place, and decided she didn't really care enough to ask him. His eyes were closed, and he was still gripping the arrow with one paw, looking like he was trying to decide if he should pull it out or not.

            Redsplash scowled when she thought of Adan. The squirrel was either a coward or dead, and either way he was of no use to her. It was too bad, really, because if Adan were still here she would have attempted to leave by now. She would have bullied the squirrel into helping Havoc, and would have kicked Fatefiend into wakefulness. They would have left by now. They might have even been free. But Redsplash wasn't sure what would happen after that. Adan and Havoc would probably have wanted to travel with them, to protect them or something, and Fatefiend wouldn't have stayed because he hated heroes as much as Redsplash did. Redsplash wondered who she would have traveled with…Adan and Havoc…or Fatefiend.

            Redsplash shook her head, rolling her eyes. Fatefiend, of course. Adan and Havoc would not have let her stay very long, because of her lack of morals. Either that or she would have ended up killing Adan because the squirrel was so annoying.

            Suddenly Redsplash heard a noise and she stood up quickly, tensed. "What is it?" Havoc asked, squinting up at her as if he couldn't figure out why she had stood up.

            "Heard a noise." Redsplash snapped.

            "That…bad." Havoc murmured, eyes dulled now. His eyes fluttered closed and then were forced open, as he tried desperately to hang onto consciousness. Fatefiend hissed and twitched, something from his dreams must have been painful.

            Redsplash heard the noise again. At least two beasts were moving this way, slowly. Redsplash scowled, glancing down the hall. She could run, forget Fatefiend and Havoc and get out of here. Come back and get Fate later, maybe, if he lived. 

            "Go…" Havoc said softly.

            That, more then anything, caused Redsplash to stay. She listened to herself and no one else. Havoc could try to play the role of hero as much as he wanted, but Redsplash wasn't about to leave now. She doubted she even had the energy. She could barely stand; she had very little chance of getting out of here alive. At least she could kill a few more of the Unnamed One's stupid beasts before she died. 

            Redsplash tensed when she heard the familiar sound of a sword being drawn out of its sheath. Whoever was about to walk into the hallway was armed better then Redsplash was. Redsplash didn't even have a dagger. This was going to be a very short battle. Redsplash glanced at Fatefiend, considered kicking him for getting her into this situation, and then turned quickly back towards where the threat was coming from. If it looked too bad she could run, but she wouldn't. She'd get about five paces before she collapsed, which was the main reason she had not abandoned Fatefiend and Havoc by now.

            Redsplash bared her teeth and waited.

             __


	11. Chapter Eleven

            ((You know, I really don't need to put up the last chapter. I think this would have worked as an ending, but I did say there was going to be twelve chapters, so I guess I'll go ahead and write a twelfth chapter. And I have a question: Who is your favorite character? It's not incredibly important, but I want to know. Thanks, again, for reviewing.))

            Darkclaw and Kael turned the corner to find Redsplash baring her teeth at them, with an albino otter barely conscious on the floor, an arrow protruding from his stomach, and Fatefiend unconscious, his back leaning against the wall. At the sight of Darkclaw, Redsplash's eyes flashed and she growled, his paws clenching into fists.

            "_You_!" she hissed.

            "Me." Darkclaw replied calmly.

            "I should _kill_ you! This is all your fault!"

            Darkclaw shrugged, "Probably." He said.

            "Try to kill him, and I'll have to kill you." Kael added.

            Redsplash shot him a look that was surprisingly hateful, "I've killed many weasels. I could kill another one."

            "What's goin' on?" Havoc demanded, dragging himself painfully up onto his knees. He hissed in pain, eyes fluttering closed and then snapping open.

            "There are things more pathetic then the Nameless One in these halls, apparently." Redsplash snapped, glaring pointedly at Darkclaw.

            "Apparently." Darkclaw agreed, his gaze lingering on the albino otter. "And who is this? Havoc?"

            "How did _you_ know?" Redsplash demanded, "Did you throw _him_ in here too?"

            "No. Bloodrise wanted to get him out of here."

            "And who is Bloodrise?" Redsplash said, a bit too fatigued to remember if she had ever heard that name before.

            "My sister."

            "I thought her name was Silverdawn."

            "She changed it."

            "Well, tell her not to do it again!" Redsplash snapped moodily.

            A sudden clatter followed by three guards, two rats and a stoat, walking into the hallway, ending up a few paces from Havoc. Darkclaw smiled, his eyes flashed. The stoat yelped and threw his spear. Darkclaw lunged to the left and the spear hit the stone where Darkclaw's head had been a few seconds ago. The first rat died, an arrow going completely through its throat. Kael reached for another arrow, but it was not needed. Darkclaw pounced, slashing the remaining rat across the stomach with his sharp claws. The rat had a few seconds of desperately trying to keep his guts in before he died and it did not matter. The stoat's head was crushed easily by Darkclaw's paws.

            "Damn Nameless One….kill….idiot…wine…food…" Redsplash murmured under her breath.

            "Don't talk…about…food." Fatefiend said slowly, his eyes opening slowly, "I'm…so hungry."

            "I thought you were dead." Redsplash told him honestly.

            "Keep…wishing." Fatefiend said, breathing heavily, "Might…come true."

            "You'll be dead soon." Kael said, "You can't loose that much blood and recover."

            "Sounds like a challenge." Fatefiend said, eyes narrowing at the weasel.

            "More like a bet." Havoc replied, his voice strained.

            "Darkclaw, we have to leave here." Kael said. "The guards will be here in seconds."

            "Do I look stupid?" Darkclaw demanded.

            "Yes!" Redsplash said, scowling.

            "You two," Darkclaw said, pointing at Redsplash and Fatefiend, "Are coming with us, and we're getting out of here."

            "I'm not going with you." Redsplash snarled at him.

            "Then you'll stay here to die?"

            Redsplash glared at him. Instead of arguing about this she decided to simply make Darkclaw give up. "I'll go if you we take Havoc, too."

            "Fine." Darkclaw said immediately, shocking Redsplash into silence. 

            "Leave me here." Havoc said, "I can't walk."

            Darkclaw and Redsplash shared a look and Redsplash shrugged. It wasn't her fault Havoc was a hero; it was just an unfortunate accident. 

            "Darkclaw can carry you." Redsplash offered.

            "And you can help Fatefiend." Darkclaw replied.

            Redsplash narrowed her eyes but didn't argue. Kael smirked. Fatefiend, however, voiced an opinion. "You're all idiots."

            "What?" Darkclaw asked, frowning at him.

            "Redsplash here is tired. Havoc's dying. _I'm_ dying. The weasel is just being an idiot. And _you_ cat, are being completely stupid. We'll never make it out of here if we don't go _right now_." Fatefiend snapped.

            "Ferret's right." Havoc said.

            "Then let's leave." Redsplash growled.

            "Fine." Darkclaw said and scooped Havoc up by his neck with one paw.

            "Don't carry him like that!" Redsplash objected, "You'll kill him."

            Darkclaw glared at her, but changed his grip so that he wouldn't kill Havoc. Redsplash leaned down and helped Fatefiend to his feet, nearly falling over several times from Fatefiend's weight. A clattering sound, like someone dropping a sword or spear, made everyone turn. A rat was staring at the stupidly.

            Kael whirled, bringing his bow up. The rat screamed, either following orders or because he knew he was about to die, and his scream was cut short as an arrow dug into his throat. Still, the damage had been done. The scream carried, and the sound of several running beasts, all well armed and all coming this way, caused them all to break into a sprint. Redsplash did not know where she got the strength. She was tired, more tired then she had ever been in her life, and she was practically dragging Fatefiend, and it hurt, but she couldn't stop running, even when she tried.

            Kael ran oddly, turning around backwards every couple of seconds to fire arrows into the darkness. Suddenly his quiver was empty, "Damn…" he murmured and then, "Redsplash! Move!"

            Redsplash's mind, however, did not comprehend the command until it was too late. She felt an arrow burrow into her side. She jerked dully, staggered, and then kept going, at a slower pace now. The arrow hurt. She paused long enough to pull it out. She was about to throw it away when Kael stole it from her paws. He aimed and shot, and they were rewarded with a scream.

            "Got the archer." He said, sounding immensely pleased. "You able to run?" Kael asked.

            "Why not?" Redsplash asked, sounding bitter.

            "Here." The weasel said, moved, and easily shifted Fatefiend's weight from Redsplash to himself. "Now run, before you get us killed."

            Redsplash staggered quickly forward, catching up with Darkclaw who obviously hadn't even really started running. He was jogging calmly along as if he had no idea the Nameless One's entire castle guard was chasing him. 

            Redsplash considered tripping him, but didn't have the energy. She decided to concentrate on putting one paw in front of the other. Left, right, left, right, left, right…her mind concentrated on the familiar pattern, blocking out the pain, the fatigue, and the disturbing feeling of blood seeping from the wound on her side. She didn't hear the sounds around her, didn't notice when Fatefiend fainted and Kael, silently, picked the ferret up, and continued running. She barely even noticed when the spears and arrows stopped flying around them. She blinked, and couldn't open her eyes. She stumbled, hit the ground, and got up again, eyes open once again. She saw a flicker of light and headed towards it uncertainly, her vision blurred and her mind ready to give in.

            Slowly it dawned on her that she light she was seeing was the welcome sight of fire. With a strangled sound of relief she managed to double her pace to something that could have been considered a run, and broke through the foliage, staring around blearily at the camp full of Darkclaw's doubtful associates. She felt Darkclaw step up beside her, saw Kael step into the light, covered in blood and carrying Fatefiend, who looked dead. She had time only to wonder why the ground was rushing up at her, before she hit the ground hard and she fainted.

            Redsplash was asleep, and she was relatively happy. She was a little cold, but she was happy. Or, at least, she was happy, until some idiot decided to mess with the wound on her side. Screeching, she tried to sit up, but paws held her down, keeping her from moving. She struggled fiercely now, because the pain had increased, and because she couldn't get free.

            "If you don't hold her down, I can't heal her." A feminine voice said, sounding stressed.

            "We _are_ holding her down." Kael growled, "If you want to try it, fox, please, go ahead."

            Redsplash stopped struggling, looking around. A fox was determinedly working on the wound in her side, or had just finished, actually. A long white bandage, rapidly turning red, was being wound around her ribs and stomach. Finally the fox nodded and stepped back.

            "There. This one'll live, but she'll have a scar." The female fox looked at Redsplash and rolled her eyes, "Not like she'll notice another scar, though."

            Redsplash stared dumbly at her, and then, "How are Fate and Havoc?"

            "Unconscious." The vixen replied sharply.

            "Or dead. We haven't checked in a while." Kael added, tiredly.

            "I think we had better go and see if they're alive now, Lilit." Darkclaw rumbled from where he was sitting.

            "Ah, yes." The fox said with a doubtful nod. She turned and walked seven paces, kneeling between two figures by the fire.

            Redsplash, grumbling darkly, sat up and started headed towards the other two.

            "You're supposed to stay here." Kael remarked.

            "Oh, well." Redsplash snapped.

            Darkclaw turned to Kael, "Get some sleep. You'll need it in the morning."

            "Why?" Kael asked tiredly.

            "Because we're leaving." Darkclaw replied.

            "Ah." Kael said and, silently, walked away.

            Redsplash stared doubtfully down at Havoc and Fatefiend. They weren't unconscious, anymore, or at least Havoc wasn't. He stared listlessly up at the sky, watching the clouds move over the moon, blinking slowly every couple of minutes, like it took all his energy to do so. Lilit, the vixen, kept trying to get him to drink brews that would send him to sleep, or at least dull the pain, but he refused, turning his head away and keeping his mouth closed tightly. Redsplash thought he was crazy. _She'd_ have taken the mixtures, no matter how repulsive they smelled, looked, or tasted. She'd have taken them now, to dull the aching pain in her side, but they weren't offered, and she wouldn't ask for them.

            Havoc glanced at Redsplash, his eyes glinting dully in the flickering light of the several fires and four torches Lilit had placed around the two wounded beasts. Havoc looked like he wanted to say something, but then turned his head towards the sky again and watched passively as Lilit suddenly pulled the arrow out of his stomach. The only sign that he had felt the pain was the way his eyes closed just a bit faster then they normally did, and stayed closed for a beat longer then ever before.

            The fox held the arrow close to the fire, staring at it. She sighed, "Poison." She said and tossed the arrow into the fire.

            "He's gonna die then, right?" Redsplash asked, her voice perfectly emotionless, as was her face.

            Lilit blinked, "Yes. Sometime. I have the antidote to the poison, but it may be to late, and he may be too weak."

            "He's not weak." Redsplash said, offended.

            Lilit shrugged, "Maybe not." She said quietly, "But to beat that poison you have to fight, and I'm not sure he can fight it."

            Havoc turned his gaze on the fox, staring at her quietly. And then he directed his gaze once more at the stars, following the patterns he found there with his eyes, frowning slightly.

            "And then it might not matter how strong he is." Lilit said after a minute, "Some things you just can't fight."

            "You can fight anything." Darkclaw corrected mildly, "You just can't win against them all."

            "What's that Darkclaw? Admitting to not being invincible?" Redsplash demanded dryly.

            "Oh, don't worry, Redsplash." Darkclaw said with a knowing smile, "I'll always be powerful enough to crush you."

            Redsplash rolled her eyes, "It's lovely that you're such a humble creature. I do so hate egotistical maniacs."

            "Red…?" Fatefiend asked quietly, "Red…?"

            "What?" Redsplash asked darkly.

            "Where are you?"

            "Over here, idiot." Redsplash snapped.

            "I'm tired."

            "Go to sleep."

            "Can't. He said if I went to sleep again I wouldn't ever wake up." Fatefiend murmured sleepily. "Although, he didn't seem like he cared that much. Said it was now or a couple seasons later."

            "You're friend is having hallucinations." Darkclaw remarked calmly.

            "Oh, _he's_ still here?" Fatefiend said darkly, "I hoped someone had killed him by now."

            Darkclaw only smiled, standing up. "I'll speak with you later, Fatefiend…if you survive." He walked off calmly, dodging the rock Redsplash threw after him easily, as if he knew it was coming.

            "Have you finished the antidote _yet_?" Redsplash demanded, glaring at the fox. The fox had informed her, several minutes ago, that the potion would be finished soon. Both Fatefiend and Havoc had been fed some sort of brew a minute or so ago that had, apparently, caused incredible pain. Fatefiend was nearly crushing Redsplash's left paw, and Havoc had made Redsplash's right go numb, but, even though she complained endlessly about it, if it had really bothered Redsplash she would have stopped, but the pain was almost good, because at least she knew that Havoc, Fatefiend, and herself were still alive.

            "Almost." Lilit growled.

            "Well hurry _up_." Redsplash snapped back, annoying the healer even more. "His grip is getting weaker." She added, gesturing at Havoc.

            Havoc's lips twitched into a weak smile, still staring up at the sky. "I don't want to break your paw." He said, his voice quiet and tense, the first words he had spoken for a very long time.

            "Oh, please." Redsplash said, "Like you could."

            Fatefiend laughed at that, but it was a sick, bitter laugh. He didn't really find it funny; he was just trying to think of something besides the pain.

            Finally Lilit turned, holding a cup of some doubtful looking mixture. "Finished." She said.

            "Then give it to him, idiot." Redsplash said, annoyed.

            "It has some side effects-" Lilit started, looking at Havoc. "And they can be very painful."

            "Give me the antidote." Havoc said quietly, carefully lifting himself up enough to take the cup from her hands and drink the entire thing. He sighed and settled back, grip weakening even more, eyes fluttering closed.

            "There's nothing else I can do for him." Lilit said, "He either makes it, or he dies."

            "What about _me_?" Fatefiend demanded.

            Lilit glanced at him, "Your wounds are very serious. I doubt very much that you will live."

            Redsplash scowled, "I did _not_ almost die getting him out of the torture chamber for you to be to stupid to save him. _Help_ him."

            Lilit sighed and nodded, gently shoving Redsplash out of the way, "If he's to survive, I need more room." She muttered.

            Redsplash glared at her for a minute then went to sit by Havoc, whose eyes were still closed. His mouth twitched into a grimace of pain for a second and Redsplash let go of his paw. "Use your strength on yourself." She muttered, massaging her paw.

            He opened his eyes to look at her and then suddenly looked shocked. He looked over at Lilit and then up at the sky, and then closed his eyes tightly. "She was right." He muttered quietly.

            "What?" Redsplash asked, frowning.

            "It hurts." Havoc said, eyes still tightly closed.

            "You need to get more sleep." Lilit said sharply to Redsplash.

            "I do not." Redsplash said.

            "Go sleep, Red." Havoc said tiredly.

"We don't need you here." Fatefiend added.

            "_Fine_." Redsplash said and stalked off.

            "Redsplash. Otter. Get up." Came a voice, accompanied by someone poking her in the shoulder.

            Redsplash woke up slowly. She had been _sleeping_. Every time she was sleeping, someone woke her up. She ought to bite them.

            "Wha…?" Redsplash asked, forcing her eyelids to open. The fox, Lilit, was crouched beside her, trying to get her to wake up.

            "The otter, Havoc. He's asking for you."

            "Tell him to talk to Fate." Redsplash said, about to roll over and go back to sleep.

            "He says he has to tell _you_ something." Lilit said.

            Redsplash blinked and sat up. "All right, but this had better be worth it." She growled.

            She staggered to her feet and slowly followed the fox.

            "How's Fate?" Redsplash asked when they where almost there.

            "He'll be fine.  It's strange, I did not know he had the strength to survive."

            "Never underestimate Fate's fear of dying." Redsplash muttered.

            Half a minute later she was crouched beside Havoc.

            "So…what's so important that you made me get up to hear it?" Redsplash demanded.

            "I'm dying." Havoc said.

            Redsplash glanced at Lilit who nodded. Redsplash rocked back onto her heels, frowning. "Well…that's…uh…bad." She said, not knowing what else to say.

            "Yes. It is." He said, "But, look, I need to give you something."

            "You're dying and _still_ thinking about others? You're a real hero, Havoc. It's disgusting." Redsplash informed him.

            Havoc seemed to find that funny. He reached up, grabbing at a necklace Redsplash hadn't noticed before. He pulled, and the necklace quickly came off his neck. "Here." He said, "Every otter has to respect that, as long as another otter has it. You can get food, shelter, weapons, guards, anything they can give, they will."

            Redsplash took it, staring at the black stone, a single, odd shaped gold letter carved into it. "That's impressive." She said.

            "Just…someday, give it to Khalida."

            "Who is that?"

            "My mother." He said, "She'll know I'm dead…don't want her worrying. And tell Dwynwen to work harder with her sword. She always leaves an opening…right at the neck when she's about to disarm someone."

            "Who's Dwynwen?" Redsplash asked.

            "Little sister." He said quietly.

            Redsplash looked shocked suddenly, and found herself agreeing. She would do it to. She'd find these people and give them their messages.

            "Oh, and Red?"

            "Yes?" Redsplash said.

            "Goodbye." Havoc let out a breath, shaky and rasping, and didn't draw another one.

            Redsplash closed her eyes, paw gripping the stone tightly. She breathed once, twice, before opening her eyes and quickly putting the necklace around her neck. Lilit was watching her, waiting, for some kind of sign of grief. Redsplash wouldn't give her that; Redsplash didn't have it to give.

            "If Fate asks, tell him I'm going to go dig a grave." She said.

            "Here." Lilit said, holding out a mixture.

            "What is it?" Redsplash demanded suspiciously.

            "It'll give you the strength to carry a body and dig a grave." The fox replied.

            Redsplash nodded, lifted the brew to her lips, and swallowed it quickly. It tasted horrible, but left a strange aftertaste that wasn't that bad. She reached down, wincing at the pain from her side, and, carefully, picked up Havoc's cooling body, frowning, as she set off to find somewhere to bury him.

            The sun was slowly beginning to climb into the sky, but Redsplash didn't care. The shovel dug into the dirt, and then flung the dirt into a pile she had formed. Redsplash wasn't sure why, but digging felt almost good. It hurt, yes, every time she moved the wound in her side stung, ached, or burned, but Redsplash didn't want to stop moving. Digging didn't require much thought, but it required enough effort to keep the rest of her thoughts far away.

            She had chosen a spot about a quarter of an hour's walk away from the camp, near a stream. She had been here for a while, and was around halfway through digging the grave. She had run into Kael at the edge of camp, surprised to find the weasel sitting, with his back against the trunk of a tree, eyes half closed. He hadn't told her what he was doing awake, and Redsplash's hadn't cared enough to ask. She had gotten the strangest feeling, that if she'd asked, he would have helped her dig Havoc's grave, but Redsplash didn't want help. She wanted to be alone…well, relatively alone.

            Redsplash remembered her old life. It had been bitter and painful, yes, but so was this life. She was free, it was true, but freedom could sting just as much as enslavement. She didn't know what she was supposed to do now. She had been forced to travel this far with Darkclaw so that he could get his sister back. Now that Bloodrise was free, Redsplash didn't know if she and Fatefiend would split off and go wandering. She wasn't sure if she wanted to leave. She wasn't sure of much at all, except that Havoc was dead, the Nameless One was alive, Fatefiend would live, and she would have yet another scar to add to her numerous and impressive collection. She wondered idly if she could remember how she got every single one of them. Suddenly she pictured herself as old and gray, talking to cubs, and explaining, "Now, see this here 'x' shaped scar? Yes, I got that one when I spat in the Nameless One's face. Never a good idea, I do not recommend it."

            Redsplash laughed softly at the thought, shaking her head in amusement. She would never live to be that old. She didn't _want_ to live to be that old. Still, it was funny to think of herself as old and somewhat wise, telling someone's cubs of her previous adventures, if they could be called that. Though, she would not tell her stories to the youngest cubs. Redsplash doubted that the mothers would approve of some of the words they would learn. Redsplash shook her head, smilingly faintly, as the shovel, once more, bit into the dirt in a continuous and welcome pattern.

            Fallen watched the otter dig a grave from his perch behind a rock on the other side of the stream. No, it couldn't be true…Redsplash and Brighteye, the same otter? How could this be? He had followed the group of five when they fled from the vermin back to their camp. He had watched them summon the fox, and had watched the healer attend to the three wounded. All along he had denied what he now knew was true. Redsplash and Brighteye the same otter…what had he done to deserve such a cruel twist of fate? What had _she_ done?

            He held the bow, with its poisoned arrow, easily. He knew he should kill the digging otter. Redsplash was dangerous, cruel almost. Who knew what ciaos she might cause if allowed to live? He would have to right so many wrongs she caused if he let her live…but he couldn't kill her. He knew that before he even put the arrow to the string. How could he kill Brighteye? Yes, she might deserve it now, but he couldn't justly blame her for what she had become. If he had been the Nameless One's slave for as many years as she had, would he have become the same thing? If he had been the Nameless One's slave at _all_, would he too value vengeance over justice? 

            He sighed, and snapped the arrow in two, digging a small hole in the ground with his paws and burying the poisoned arrow so that no innocent creature would come along and accidentally kill themselves with the poison. Fallen carefully hid his bow. He would come back for it later. Right now he needed to swim.

            Fallen jumped from behind the rock into the stream, causing only a slight splash. By the time Redsplash turned to see what had disturbed the water, he was gone, swimming quickly away from the sight that distressed him.

            Redsplash had just put the last shovel full of dirt back on Havoc's grave when Fatefiend walked up to her. He stood beside her for a couple seconds, staring down at the mound of dirt. "Darkclaw says if we aren't down there ready to go in five minutes, he'll leave us behind." The ferret said quietly.

            "A threat of abandonment instead of death? I think he likes us, Fate." Redsplash said, joking quietly.

            "Abandonment? A four-syllable word. I'm impressed." Fatefiend replied.

            "Hilarious, Fate." Redsplash returned darkly, "Not only are you funny looking, but your jokes are funny too."

            "Joking on the grave of a friend," Fatefiend said, "Pathetic."

            "Oh, don't worry, Fate. If you die, I'll joke on your grave too." Redsplash said sarcastically.

            "I can ask no more then that." Fatefiend replied, "Let's go, Red. I don't like going over the ocean, and I know you don't, but…anything to get away from that castle."

            "Are you all right?" Redsplash asked, looking at the many bandages wrapped around him.

            "No, but I will be. All I need is some time to heal and, of course, a serious case of seasickness to shove out all other problems I might have." Fatefiend replied cheerfully.

            Redsplash nodded, "Yes. Sounds like fun." They started walking slowly towards where Darkclaw would be waiting.

            "He was a good otter, Red. Yes, he was a hero, but he could have been cured of that eventually. If he had lived, you could've married him."

            "_What_?" Redsplash squawked.

            "I pity the cubs, though. They'd have been an ugly bunch. Of course, you're u-OW! That's my_ wounded _rib!"

            "I know."

            "Don't sound so smug, or I'll elbow you in _your_ wound, and see how you like it."


	12. Chapter Twelve

            ((Well, here it is. The last chapter….I really should fix that summary, it's embarrassing…and my bio too. Anyway, I'm thinking about writing a sequel, mostly because I never actually got around to Redsplash's past, and because I never even mentioned the Abbey or Salamandastron, where Redsplash was supposed to spend a lot of time, and cause a lot of ciaos. I have to go back and edit this story sometime soon, but, for now, it's done. Thanks, one more time, for reviewing.))

            The sunrise was beautiful, but Redsplash did not appreciate it. She stared at it spitefully as she fought to keep what little food she'd had for breakfast in her stomach. She heard Fatefiend, Darkclaw, and Kael, who had come along with the rest of his band, making bets on when she'd loose that fight. Of course, this was Kael's ship, and a rather impressive one, too. It's impressiveness, though, was lost on Redsplash, who hated all boats.

            "So, Red, remember that time my father tossed that half-rotted seagull into the slave's cell?" Fatefiend asked her conversationally, "And one of the mice actually tried to _eat_ it?"

            Redsplash made an interesting choking noise, and then turned to glare wrathfully at Fatefiend. "Just wait until we get on land again and I can _walk_ again, ferret." She muttered darkly.

            "You know," Kael said, staring at the sky, "I think we're going to have a storm sometime today."

            "Good. You idiots _need_ a bath." Redsplash mumbled rebelliously.

            Fatefiend and Kael continued trying to conjure images that would make Redsplash lose her battle to keep her breakfast in her stomach. It didn't work, though Redsplash was looking incredibly sick. Finally, Darkclaw had enough of their pathetic attempts and simply walked over to his pack that he had recently refilled with food, pulled something out, and tossed it over his shoulder. An eyeball landed directly in front of Redsplash, making a revolting squishing noise. Redsplash glanced at it once, choked, and lunged for the side of the boat, making it just in time.

            "Do you always have to make me look bad?" Fatefiend demanded, frowning at Darkclaw.

            "Do you always have to make it so easy?" Darkclaw returned.

            "Kael." Redsplash called over her shoulder.

            "What?" The weasel asked, turning to frown at her.

            "I am stealing your cabin." Redsplash returned, and staggered towards Kael's cabin.

            "You can't-" Kael said, staring to go after her. Fatefiend's paw hit him in the chest, stopping him.

            "Believe me, Kael, you don't wanna try and stop her. It might look like she doesn't have any food left in her stomach, but Red eats a lot. Let her have the cabin." Fatefiend said seriously.

            Kael, grumbling, nodded. Redsplash slammed the door so loud a rat nearly went flying overboard. Darkclaw, from his current seat in the galley, applauded.

            It was quiet on the ship until, suddenly, a roar of complete and deadly fury sounded from somewhere below the galley. 

            "Sounds like dear sister's up." Fatefiend told Darkclaw wryly.

            "Be glad you don't have siblings." Darkclaw responded calmly.

            Bloodrise erupted unto the deck and knocked a rat, screeching, off into the ocean. Kael gestured calmly and several ferrets, rats, and a weasel began trying to fish the rat out of the water. Bloodrise, having finally found her brother, stalked over.

            "I _hate_ you!" She screamed at him, paws clenched into fists.

            Darkclaw looked up from his food. "All right." He said calmly and went back to eating.

            Bloodrise grabbed the dish and threw it out of the galley. Kael ducked and it hit Fatefiend on the side of the head. Kael smirked at the wounded ferret, who staggered around listlessly.

            Darkclaw looked up at her, "And I suppose you want me to ask why you're so angry?"

            "You're a bastard." She growled, her ears flattening against her skull.

            "I think I preferred you as a pacifist." He informed her, "At least then you could come up with interesting insults."

            She hissed, her claws sliding out. "I can't _believe_ you left me back there and went off to the Nameless One's castle _without_ me."

            "If it's so surprising, you obviously never knew me very well." Darkclaw replied.

            "It's something I might expect from Bluefang, but not from you." She growled.

            Darkclaw frowned and stood up slowly, staring down at her. "Bluefang would have allowed you to go to the castle, sister, because if you had gone you would have insisted on revenge and you would have died. That would be one less sibling he has to worry over. _I_ didn't want you along because if I came all this way to get you home, and you died because of some pathetic attempt at revenge, then my attempt to get you home would have failed."

            "And you would have _looked bad_!" she screeched at him, "_That's_ why you made me sleep. Because you didn't want to _look bad_."

            Darkclaw shrugged, "You're wrong, but if it makes you feel better, you can believe that."

            "I _wouldn't_ have died." She said.

            "You're weak." Darkclaw said, "You wouldn't have stood a chance."

            "I am _not_ weak!" she screeched at him, "Kael survived!"

            "Kael has been a warrior long before you suddenly found out what hate feels like. I trust him to keep himself alive and I trust his greed to keep him loyal to me." Darkclaw replied, still calm. Kael blinked, and then frowned. Fatefiend, finally able to keep himself balanced, snickered.

            "What about the ferret and the otter?! They were there!" Bloodrise said, sounding about one more sentence away from going into hysterics.

            "And you have no idea how irritating it is to have a ferret and an otter stronger then my own sister, but the truth is that they _are_ stronger then you, and, besides that, they had to be there. We were rescuing them, if you remember." Darkclaw said. "And I think, sister, that you should get some rest and try to recover some semblance of intelligence before you return home. If you continue to act like an idiot, Bluefang will find a reason to execute you, and, this time, I won't stop him." Darkclaw walked off calmly, leaving Bloodrise staring dumbly after him.

            "Redsplash!" Fatefiend said, pounding his paw against the door, "Come on, Red. Come out!"

            "No." Redsplash replied, sounding calm.

            "Come on. Where are you gonna get your _food_?"

            "Don't need any right now." Redsplash replied.

            "Red, you're actin' kinda weird…"

            "No weirder then normal."

            "That's true…" Fatefiend said, "But, still, come out. I've got your breakfast here. Aren't you hungry?"

            "Not right now."

            "At least open the door."

            "It's fine how it is." 

            Fatefiend sighed loudly, hoping she could hear it through the door. "Come _on_, Red. If this is some little stunt to get attention, you've got it, all right?"

            "I don't want attention, Fate. Go talk to Darkclaw or Kael or someone else. I'm busy."

            "Doing _what_?"

            "Trying to sleep."

            "_Still_?"

            "Yes. Now…go."

            "Fine." Fatefiend said, turned, and stalked off towards Darkclaw.

            "She wouldn't even come out for _food_." He said, his voice somewhere between concerned and whining.

            "I didn't think she would." Darkclaw said, "What was her excuse this time?"

            "She was still sleeping."

            "Ah." Darkclaw said.

            "She hasn't eaten in_ three_ days." Fatefiend objected, "She's gonna get even sicker."

            "She's been sneaking out at night to get food." Darkclaw informed him.

            "She has?" Fatefiend said suspiciously, "How did you know?"

            "Kael told me, and his sentries told him. She also went for a swim in the sea yesterday."

            "_What_?" Fatefiend demanded.

            "She went for a swim in the sea yesterday." Darkclaw repeated patiently.

            "Well, I _know_ that, but how? Why? She's gone suicidal on us."

            "No. She tied a rope around the rail and around herself and jumped into the sea. Stayed there for about an hour, climbed back up the rope, and went back into the cabin. She's not suicidal."

            "Then she's stupid."

            "Probably."

            "I don't understand _why_ she's doing this." Fatefiend growled, "She's always been insane, but _understandable_. I don't _get_ this."

            "Stop trying so hard." Darkclaw said, "You're missing a detail that I think you'd like to know."

            "I'm missing a whole lot of details." Fatefiend snapped.

            "Think about all the details, ferret, and you'll understand. If you try to understand immediately your brain will never be able to comprehend it."

            "You've always got to stick an insult in everything you say, don't you?" Fatefiend asked darkly.

            "I only use insults when they're needed. If you were smart enough to understand the truth, they wouldn't be required."

            "There you go again with the insults." Fatefiend paused, "What am I supposed to do with her breakfast?" he asked, frowning thoughtfully down at the tray of food.

            "Eat it yourself. You need to heal, too. Stop worrying so much about your friend, and worry about yourself. It's what she's doing."

            "You're a bastard." Fatefiend asked as he began to eat Redsplash's breakfast.

            "So everyone keeps telling me." Darkclaw said, shrugged, and walked off to talk to Kael.

            "Hello, Redsplash." Fatefiend began the next morning.

            "Hello, Fatefiend." She responded.

            "Hello, Redsplash." He repeated, trying to force her into saying something else.

            "Hello, Fatefiend." Was her response.

            "Hello, Red."

            "Hello, Fate."

            "Hello, Red." 

            "Hello, Fate."

            "That's _it_!" Fatefiend shouted, "Stay in there! I don't care anymore!" He paused, waiting for an answer.

            "Good bye, Fatefiend." Redsplash replied.

            "Damn this!" Fatefiend bellowed, turned, and stalked off.

            "Redsplash…" Fatefiend started, a few days later. He'd been angry for a long time after his last brush with Redsplash's door, and had walked around, grumbling, until Darkclaw finally threatened to toss him overboard and let him drown if he didn't stop. After that Fatefiend had sunk into sullen silence, until he'd finally gotten bored of that. Now, with land in sight, he was going to have to get Redsplash out of this damn cabin.

            "Hello, Fatefiend." She responded through the door, and though her tone was emotionless, he could sense the mockery.

            "You've gotta come out." he said.

            "I'm trying to get some sleep. Why won't anyone just let me _sleep_?" 

            "Because you're _always_ sleeping. Or thinking. Or just not answering. You've _gotta_ come out now. We're gonna land soon."

            "Really? That's interesting. But I was having this great dream, you see, about the Nameless One being dead, and Darkclaw choking to death on a carrot. So can you please go away?"

            "We'll be ready to go on land in around an hour." Kael informed Fatefiend as he passed him.

            "That's it, Red." Fatefiend said tiredly, "I'm coming in."

            No answer.

            Fatefiend took that as an invitation and shoved the door open. Redsplash, who was trying to force several artifacts into a pack she'd managed to scrounge up from somewhere, looked over at him as if torn between exasperation and surprise. Several dishes, half filled with food in various stages of freshness, were scatted around the room on the floor, and a necklace Fatefiend hadn't noticed before hung around Redsplash's neck.

            "Fate, get _out_!" Redsplash yelled and him and jumped away from the bag, paws out to force him out of the cabin.

            He ducked under her paws and circled around to stare down at the pile of things she was about to put in the pack. "Red!" he said, "These aren't _yours_." He held up several pieces of golden trinkets and jewelry.

            "Oh, don't sound so shocked." Redsplash muttered darkly, kicking the door closed and then leaning against it. "So I'm a thief."

            "You're stealing from _Kael_?!"

            "Keep your voice down, idiot." Redsplash said sharply, "And it's not stealing. It's called revenge."

            "For _what_?" Fatefiend demanded. Since Redsplash hadn't been there to talk to, Fatefiend had started to form what might have been called a friendship with the weasel, if the truth was stretched. Stretched a _lot_. Still, Fatefiend wasn't exactly happy with Redsplash right now, and this theft was only making him more displeased.

            "Oh, I'm sure he's done _something_ that needs revenge for." Redsplash said, "And what are you getting so upset about anyway? You stole all the time."

            "From my _father_!" Fatefiend said, "It's just a bit different."

            "How? I find stealing from a family member worse then stealing from someone that's not related to you."

            "Did _your_ family almost torture you to death?" Fatefiend demanded loudly.

            Redsplash looked at him for a minute, a paw going up to clench around the black stone on the necklace. "Well, no." she admitted, "But we did have this huge family gathering once where-"

            "_Red_!"

            "What?" Redsplash asked, frowning.

            "Where'd you get the necklace?"

            "Havoc gave it to me." Redsplash said, and Fatefiend frowned, noticing the defensive tone in her voice.  
            "When?"

            "A few seconds before he died."

            "Ah." Fatefiend said and then sighed, "Really, Red, you've gotta put the gold stuff back. Kael'll hunt us down to get them, and he's pretty good with those daggers."

            Redsplash sighed, "But it's _gold_." She objected, moving to pick up a few of the trinkets and wave them at him, "_Gold_."

            "I've seen lots of gold in my life." Fatefiend replied dryly, "So I'm not particularly impressed. Put it _back_."

            "But _why_?"

            "Because I don't want to _die_!" Fatefiend said, "And Kael _will_ kill us."

            "Well, maybe you should just leave. You know, you could do it. Once we got on land, I could go one way and you could go the other and we'd never see each other again." Redsplash said, dropping the gold.

            Fatefiend stared at her, mouth hanging open. Shocked. He closed his mouth and raised an eyebrow, "Redsplash," he said, amazingly calmly, "Without me, you'd be dead in a couple of days."

            "That's not true." Redsplash said, scowling at him. "I can do just fine without you."

            "Fine. Then think of me." Fatefiend said, "I'm weak and stupid and clumsy. Without you, someone'd kill me before I'd even decided which direction to go in. Think about _me_."

            "It's always about you." Redsplash said, "Isn't it?"

            "Yes. Unless it's about you." Fatefiend agreed.

            "Fine. I'll stay with you." Redsplash said, sighing.

            "Good. Now. You've gotta come out of this cabin."

            "But now I've really gotta sleep. If we're gonna be one land soon…"

            "Come sleep out on the deck. There's some of these weird net things they call hammocks." Fatefiend paused. "Not really comfortable at first, but after a while they're not that bad. Besides, you obvious aren't seasick anymore…"

            Redsplash nodded slowly, "I don't know how it happened. I still get sick sometimes, but not for a while and not badly."

            "So come out on to the deck."

            Redsplash shook her head, "I don't think so."

            "Oh, come on." Fatefiend said and moved towards the door, "What's the matter? Are you afraid?"

            Redsplash, who had been trying to get the gold into her pockets without Fatefiend noticing, turned quickly, the gold going everywhere. She scowled at her, green eyes narrowed in anger, "_What_?" she hissed.

            "It's a perfectly natural reaction. Fear. I mean, I never thought _you'd_ be afraid of a little sunlight and a little seasickness, but I guess _everyone's_ gotta be afraid of something. Still, it's a rather pathetic fear and I don't-" Redsplash lunged at him and Fatefiend threw the door open, sprinting out onto the deck. Redsplash chased after him, yelling curses, and Fatefiend attempted to duck behind Bloodrise who, scowling, shoved him away, straight into her brother.

            "Ferret! Watch where you're going!" Darkclaw snapped.

            "Sorry, Dark, can't stop to chat. Being chased by insane otter." Fatefiend said in a rush and raced off again, wondering if it had been such a good idea to bait Redsplash like that. He heard a sickening thump, an abrupt silence, and then Redsplash was screeching again, only this time complaints about masts being in stupid places could be heard, along with snickers from the crew.

            Fatefiend weaved between the vermin crew, trying to find somewhere safe to hide. At least Redsplash was out of that damn cabin. Suddenly Fatefiend ran out of boat. 

            "Whoa!" He said, stopping suddenly. He wondered what had happened to the railing on this section of the boat, and then remembered Bloodrise's fit of fury and her destruction of many innocent ropes and a serious portion of the rail.

            "Diiiiiieeee!" Redsplash yelled, furious, and slammed into him from behind.

            Fatefiend yelped, and whirled, grabbing hastily onto Redsplash's neck, trying to avoid falling. Redsplash choked, trying to shove him away, but Fatefiend would not let go. Redsplash lost her balance and the two toppled forward.

            Suddenly something caught Redsplash and tugged her back, sending her flying back onto the safety of the deck. Fatefiend let go of Redsplash's neck and landed painfully on a pile of ropes. Redsplash landed with a thump on the wood of the deck and sat up seconds later, rebelliously rubbing her throat. She glared at Fatefiend who smiled feebly at her. They both turned to see who had saved them from falling overboard.

            Darkclaw frowned at them from the exact spot Fatefiend had stopped at. "We're two hours from land. Try to keep from any more suicidal antics until then. I have a headache."

            "It was all Red's fault." Fatefiend said quickly, pointing at Redsplash who scowled at him.

            "It was not!" Redsplash snapped, "_He_ was the one that said I was afraid."

            Darkclaw rolled his eyes, turned, and walked off.

            Fatefiend had mastered the ability to float. Unfortunately, that was the only swimming skill he had managed to achieve. Redsplash was watching him in disgust from the deck of the boat as the ferret tried to convince his paws to let go of the rope that he had climbed off of Kael's rather large ship with. The ocean was at least ten times deeper than Fatefiend was tall, but Kael insisted on going no closer to shore, despite Bloodrise's many threats, and Fatefiend's insistent, shrill, pleas. So Fatefiend was shivering in the cold water, and trying to get his paws, which were slowly going numb, to let go of the rope that was the only thing keeping him afloat. Fatefiend was not succeeding.

            "Ferret! Let _go_!" Kael shouted down to him, and tugged at the rope. Fatefiend let out a startled yelp and his paws slid from the rope. He went under, and he did not come up.

            "Why do I always have to rescue him?" Redsplash demanded before jumping up onto the railing and then diving off, making a small splash as she entered the water.

            The saltwater made the wound in her side sting, but Redsplash ignored it. Her eyes moved through the water, searching. There. Fatefiend was struggling for the surface, but he wasn't very good at swimming. Redsplash reached him in seconds and gripped his right arm. She pulled him, struggling listlessly, to the surface. When Fatefiend realized he could breathe again he promptly coughed up about a gallon of seawater. Right in Redsplash's face.

            "Oh, wonderful." Redsplash said, before ducking her head underwater and rubbing at her face, trying to get it all off. She quickly brought her head back up, though, when Fatefiend's paw suddenly gripped her ear and pulled.

            "What?" Redsplash demanded, irritated, as she rubbed at her ear.

            "We gotta get out of the water." He said, teeth chattering together.

            "Why? Because you're a little cold?" Redsplash said with a disgusted look.

            "I can't feel my legs." Fatefiend replied. "I'm not sure they're _there_!"

            Redsplash was about to assure him that, yes, his legs were still there and to tell him to stop kicking her with them, when Kael called down to them. "Stop playing around! Sharks live in these waters, ya know!"

            Fatefiend panicked. Screaming, he flailed wildly in the water, slapping Redsplash with his paws more then once. Somehow he managed to discover how to swim, and began to make his way, in a manner more like a beached fish then a swimming one, towards the shore. Redsplash turned to glare up at Kael, who was laughing so hard he had to hold onto the railing to keep from falling off his own ship. She sighed and turned to look for Fatefiend, finding him on the shore on all fours, panting desperately and sending her worried looks.

            "Get out, Red!" he screeched.

            "I see you've rediscovered your legs." Redsplash observed.

            "This is no time for jokes!" he yelled, "There are _sharks_ in that water!"

            Redsplash gave him a poisonous glare in return, "You idiot." She said, "There are _no_ sharks in this part of the ocean."

            Fatefiend, dripping wet and still out of breath, stared at her stupidly for a minute. Kael's laughter reached them, and Bloodrise soon joined in. Darkclaw smirked down at him and Fatefiend stood up slowly, turned his head towards Kael, and glared at him.

            Redsplash, shaking her head, began swimming slowly towards the shore.

            Redsplash walked steadily through the tall snow. She clutched her heavy cloak tighter around her and sent Fatefiend, who had started with one cloak and was currently wearing three, an angry, bitter glare. Since the hood of one of the cloaks fell so far forward it was amazing Fatefiend didn't run into anything, Redsplash didn't know if her even saw her glare. Darkclaw and Bloodrise, walking calmly through the snow, paused almost at the same time and tilted their heads at almost the same angle. Redsplash fought back the urge to spit at them.

            They had been traveling like this for days. Kael and his bunch had declined the offer to join Darkclaw on this little venture back to his castle, and Redsplash envied them the option to do so. Of course, Darkclaw insisted that she was free to leave, and had suggested that she do so many times, but Redsplash knew as well as he did that if she did, she would die out here. She hated cold weather and she had no idea how to make it back to warmer climates. Fatefiend claimed to know how to get back, but Redsplash knew the ferret's sense of direction too well to rely on him to remember left from right, and wasn't about to let him attempt something that involved her risking her life.

            Fatefiend and Darkclaw had attempted to teach her to read, but because of a certain escapade involving a very, very angry snake, Darkclaw's cloak's pocket, and Redsplash in a particularly evil mood, Darkclaw had stopped helping with the lessons. Fatefiend still attempted to teach Redsplash, but Bloodrise, who apparently had a very pessimistic, and very active, sense of humor, continuously disrupted their lessons. Their food supplies were running low, and if they didn't find either Darkclaw's castle, or some other source of food, Redsplash would be forced to try to digest some of the food Darkclaw, and now Bloodrise, preferred. Fatefiend had tried squirrel a few days ago, and, though he told Redsplash that it was exceptionally good and suggested she try some, had been unable to keep the food in his stomach, and had vomited it up in the snow as Bloodrise snickered evilly.

            Redsplash hated snow. At first, she had loved it. Then she had tried to sleep with it falling on her all night. By the time the sun finally decided to rise, Redsplash had developed a deep hatred for the annoying white flakes. It was getting closer and closer to actual winter, and Redsplash didn't want to think about what she would do once she actually _reached_ Darkclaw's castle. The wildcat would probably just send her away, or maybe kill her. No matter how long she traveled with him, she still couldn't figure out what he was going to do next. She had thought he was just a cold, emotionless, bastard, but the infinite patience he treated his sister with proved he at least liked his sister enough not to strangle her to death when she obviously went out of her way to annoy him. Redsplash doubted he had the same affection for her and Fatefiend. Still, Darkclaw had yet to even attempt to kill either of them, though, after the snake incident, he had threatened to kill them both when they were asleep.

            Redsplash snorted and, sullenly, yanked the cloak even closer. She wondered how long this could go on. She glanced over at the two wildcats, to find Bloodrise slowing down, letting Darkclaw pass her. Redsplash frowned, suspicious. The younger wildcat crouched down, grabbing handfuls of snow. Darkclaw continued walking, ignoring her. Or he ignored her until a ball of snow smacked into the back of his head. Darkclaw roared in annoyance, and whirled. Fatefiend tried to see what was going on, turned too quickly, and tripped on his many cloaks. He went sprawling in the snow. Redsplash shrieked with laughter, finding everything hilarious right up into a ball of snow hit her directly in the face. Fatefiend smirked smugly at her.

            Bloodrise snickered, and three snowballs hit her seconds later.

            "This is all your fault," Redsplash remarked to Bloodrise, "All your fault." She repeated.

            "Aw, but Red, white's a pretty color." Fatefiend objected, with his eyes way too wide and blinking way too often for it to not be a joke.

            "Har, har, har," Redsplash snapped as she tried to brush all the snow off her cloak. "I hate white. It's so…_white_."

            "You could be a poet with that kind of wit." Darkclaw observed, his tone completely emotionless.

            "Aw, go rot in-"

            "Darkclaw!"  Bloodrise, who had wandered a bit away from the other three, screeched.

            Darkclaw whirled, his eyes flashing. He bounded off towards the direction the shriek had come from. Fatefiend and Redsplash exchanged a look, shrugged, and walked off after them. They struggled up a particularly steep hill and found the two wildcats staring at a gigantic castle. Redsplash squinted at it…it looked familiar.

            "So." Fatefiend said conversationally, "You're home."

            "Oh, _this_ is Darkclaw's castle." Redsplash said with a nod. "I was wondering."

            "What? You don't remember it?" Fatefiend asked, blinking.

            "I spent most of my time _in_ it." Redsplash replied sharply, "Or walking _away_ from it. Never _towards_ it."

            "I'm home." Bloodrise said, sounding uncertain, almost like she couldn't believe it. Redsplash glanced suspiciously at the wildcat. She suddenly wondered which of them was older. She wondered how old _Darkclaw_ was. Maybe the wildcats weren't that much older than Fatefiend and Redsplash. It must be extremely frustrating, having to act like they did all the time, even if they _weren't_ young.

            "Yes, well, let's go make sure nothing has changed in our absence." Darkclaw's eyes were on a dark blue flag flying from a tower, his voice bordering on a growl.

            "Where's mother's flag?" Bloodrise asked. She sounded worried. Redsplash glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. If Bloodrise started to cry…

            "I don't know." Darkclaw's eyes were narrowed, watching small figures running around on the castle. He stalked towards it, the fur along his spine standing up, his eyes flaming with anger.

            "Red…" Fatefiend whispered.

            "Yes?" Redsplash whispered back.

            "Let's not mess with Darkclaw anymore…"

            "I agree." Redsplash said with a nod.

            "Where is my brother?" Darkclaw roared, and Redsplash glanced uneasily behind her. The urge to flee was becoming incredibly powerful. Fatefiend took an uncertain step backwards, and then forwards, looking about as confused and nervous as Redsplash felt.

            Suddenly, with a loud, insistent creaking, the heavy wooden door in the front of the castle creaked down. What looked like a hundred or so vermin marched out, leaving a small aisle straight through them. Bluefang, smug and dressed in much more expensive garments than he once wore, walked out.

            "So," Bluefang said, sounding immensely pleased, "The younger brother returns."

            "What have you done?" Darkclaw roared. The smug smile on Bluefang's face became a bit forced.

            "The Queen died while you were away, brother." Bluefang said, almost smirking.

            "You _killed_ her!" the words sounded tormented and angry. Redsplash, Fatefiend, and Bluefang gaped at Bloodrise. Darkclaw glanced at her and rolled her eyes.

            "I don't suppose it was hard." Darkclaw said to Bluefang, his tone as cold as the climate. "But it's the biggest kill you've ever made. Congratulations."

            "I did not kill her!" Bluefang protested, but he was smiling.

            "And I suppose you've taken over?" Darkclaw asked coldly.

            "Well, of course, brother. You were off on a frivolous quest. _Someone_ had to take control." Bluefang.

            "Then you'll be happy to relinquish it. The throne is _Darkclaw's_." Bloodrise hissed. "And it was _not_ a frivolous quest!"

            "Be _silent_ Silverdawn!" Bluefang said. Fatefiend heard a noise and a feeling like panic entered his system. He turned to Redsplash, trying to stop her, but it was to late. The snowball hit Bluefang on the nose, and then, melting, dripped down under his tunic.

            "Her _name_," Redsplash said wryly, with a smug grin to match Bluefang's, "Is _Bloodrise_."

            "_Red_!" Fatefiend squeaked, "You're gonna get us _killed_!"

            "It's the otter slave." Bluefang said, shocked, "The one the Nameless One wants. And…the ferret's _son_."

            "Look what you did." Fatefiend told Redsplash accusatively, "You idiot."

            "Oh, like you've never done something stupid either." Redsplash replied.

            "Stupid, yes. Suicidal, _no_." Fatefiend argued.

            "Bluefang, this castle and these lands are _not_ yours." Darkclaw growled, and Fatefiend and Redsplash quieted, remembering the danger they were in. "They are _mine_."

            "And do you really want them?" Bluefang asked, "You never wanted power won this easily. It was so obvious. You would never be happy as king and we all know it."

            "Happy or not it is _my responsibility_ and I _will not_ let you take it from me!" Darkclaw shouted this and then roared, furious. Redsplash and Fatefiend both slunk a step or two back, along with everyone else within hearing range, except for Bloodrise and Bluefang. Bloodrise looked angry, scowling at Bluefang. Bluefang's smug smile was so obviously forced Redsplash had to wonder how long the older brother could keep this up before permanently damaging his face.

            "Are you going to kill me?" Bluefang asked, laughing, "In front of our poor sister, who has suffered enough?"

            Bloodrise muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "I'll show _you_ suffering."

            Darkclaw, however, seemed actually effected by Bluefang's words. He was still frowning, but thoughtfully now, more resentful and sullen then furious. "No. I won't kill you." He bared his teeth, "I would never be weak enough to murder a family member so that I could have a bit of power."

            Bluefang bared his own teeth in response, and growled, but his growl was pathetic compared to any of Darkclaw's. It was obvious who was the stronger one. But Darkclaw suddenly didn't look interested in fighting. For the first time since she'd met him, Redsplash saw uncertainty in his eyes. Darkclaw glanced back at Bloodrise.

            "You can't expect to live easily if I stay." Darkclaw said.

            "Which is why you've been banished." Bluefang replied.

            "I'll come back." Darkclaw warned.

            "I'll kill you." Bluefang returned the warning.

            "You can try all you like." Darkclaw said, a growl entering his tone again. Suddenly he blinked, calming down again, "And what about our sister? Is she banished too?"

            "Of course not. What do I have to fear from a female?" Bluefang seemed to find this immensely amusing.

            Bloodrise growled, eyes flashing. Redsplash, too, looked rather unhappy. Fatefiend, nervously, edged out of the way. If either of the two decided to charge at Bluefang, Fatefiend didn't want to be in the way. In fact, he didn't want to be here. There was too much danger in the air. Any second, the tension could snap, and beasts could start dying. And Fatefiend got the feeling, that he'd be one of the many that would die.

            "Fine. Bloodrise'll stay here." Darkclaw announced.

            "I will not!" Bloodrise objected.

            Darkclaw whirled, stalked over to her, and grabbed her right arm in a grip that looked painful. He whispered something, vehement but quiet. Slowly a smirk formed on Bloodrise's features, and then a scowl as she objected to something. Darkclaw shook his head, and another muted conversation was held until, finally, Bloodrise nodded slowly, sullen. She stalked over to stand, disgusted and obviously displeased, beside and a little behind Bluefang who gave her a quick, annoyed, glance. Once he was turned towards Darkclaw again, she made a face at him. Redsplash and Fatefiend snickered.

            "You've been banished, Darkclaw. You have until nightfall to get out of my realm." Bluefang announced to his younger brother.

            Darkclaw laughed harshly, "Your soldiers won't attack me. They're more afraid of my then they are of you. But I'll leave. Just try not to ruin _my_ realm while I'm gone."

            Bluefang hissed in response. Darkclaw shook his head, turned and walked away, heading straight for the gape in between Redsplash and Fatefiend. Redsplash scanned the crowd of vermin, noting the archers. The archers didn't move though, but watched Darkclaw move away with terrified looks in their wide eyes. Fatefiend snorted as Darkclaw passed them.

            "Looks like we've both been banished from our realms." He observed to Darkclaw.

            "Looks like you still insist on speaking with me." Darkclaw returned sharply.

            Redsplash grinned evilly and trotted over to walk beside him, "Of course, Dark."

            "You shortened my name." Darkclaw observed menacingly.

            "That's because we've all got shortened names. You're Dark, I'm Red, he's Fate." Redsplash replied.

            "There is no 'we.'" Darkclaw growled.

            "Well, there is now." Fatefiend said, "_You_ have no home, _we_ have no idea how to get back to somewhere with a _sane_ temperature, and, besides, without us who are you going to plot with?"

            "'Plot with?'" Darkclaw asked, still walking as the other two moved to walk on either side of him.

            "Yes, to get your realm back. Besides, it's not healthy being a loner." Fatefiend said.

            "Not true." Redsplash said, "I'm plenty healthy."

            "Not healthy _mentally_, Red, _mentally_." Fatefiend said.

            "What's that supposed to mean?" Redsplash demanded, frowning.

            "Fine. You two can travel with me." Darkclaw said, interrupting what could have become a full-fledged argument. "But if you two idiots get attacked by something, I will not help you. I'll leave."

            "He's really one of us now, Red." Fatefiend said, moving to walk alongside Redsplash and mock-sniffle.

            "Sad, isn't it?" Redsplash replied.

            "But he's so…so _young_!" Fatefiend said, and burst into mock-tears. Redsplash laughed and Darkclaw scowled at both of them.

            Suddenly Fatefiend stumbled upon a realization that was not at all funny, "Darkclaw…" he said uneasily, "What are we gonna do when we run out of food?"

            "Oh, _I'm_ not worried." Darkclaw replied, the smallest of smirks tugging at his lips.

            Redsplash blinked and exchanged a long, meaningful look with Fatefiend.

            "Uh, Darkclaw…" Fatefiend said uneasily, "About this whole meat-eating thing…"


End file.
